CinderSerenity
by Sakurelle
Summary: Prince Seto of the kingdom of Domino needs a bride. But instead of a ball, he throws a ... Duel Monsters Tournament? SetoSerenity
1. A New Life

Disclaimer: I do not own Cinderella or Yu-Gi-Oh!

CHAPTER 1:  A New Life

            Serenity Wheeler and her brother Joey stared out the window of their home. The rain was pouring cats and dogs outside. Joey put a comforting arm around his eight-year old sister.

            "I'm scared, Joey!" she moaned. "Our parents have been gone a long time. Are you sure they're okay!" She looked over at her blonde-haired brother, who was two years her senior.

            "Sure, Serenity," he assured her. "They're probably on their way home right now!" His little sister wasn't so sure. The sky was blacker than a shadow outside, and occasionally a streak of lightning tore across its never-ending blanket.

            "Why don't you close your eyes and rest," Joey suggested. "I'll wake you up when they come home." Serenity obeyed, and laid her head into his arms. He rested his chin on her forehead.

            "Good night, Joey," she whispered.

            "Good night, Serenity." Serenity snuggled closer and fell asleep.

………

            _The rain was pouring harder than ever outside. Thunder flashed and lightning raced through the clouds. Mrs. Wheeler clasped her husband's hand. _

_            "Don't worry, my dear," he said. "Carriages are safe!" Mrs. Wheeler wasn't so sure. She eyed the two horses that were pulling the carriage along._

_            "What if they get spooked by the lightning??" she asked. _

_            "Darling, don't worry. Everything will be okay." Mrs. Wheeler rested her head on her husband's shoulder. Suddenly, the horses stopped. The driver jumped off._

_            "Sorry, ma'am, sorry sir, if it disturbed you. I realized the bar that connects the actual carriage to the horses is broken on one side. It will take me a second to fix it." Mrs. Wheeler closed her eyes. Soon, very soon, they would be home to see their two children._

_            A streak of lightning suddenly hit the tree nearest to them. Thunder roared and the horses whinnied. Blindly, they dashed about._

_            "AH!" Mrs. Wheeler screamed. The driver couldn't stop the horses. Her husband wrapped his arms around her. Suddenly, the bar holding the horses snapped. One side fell and the other followed. The carriage bounced off the road and tumbled down the steep side. The carriage turned over several times. Mrs. Wheeler fell out of it somehow and came to a stop as she hit a boulder. Mr. Wheeler and the carriage kept going until they finally fell into the river._

_            "MA'AM!" the driver cried as he raced to the woman's side. There was a deep gash on her head and the rain was starting to make the blood flow down the side of her head._

_            "Serenity…" she whispered "Joey…" She closed her eyes and breathed no more. The driver frantically tried to locate the carriage, but the river had swept it away along with the occupant. The driver ran up the hill to get help. Just then, five of the king's guards rode up on their horses._

_            "Is everything all right? We heard horses neighing near the fire and came to put it out."_

_            "Please, sire! My carriage fell over and the one of the occupants is dead. The other was swept downriver." The officer jumped off the horse._

_            "Lead me to the dead occupant!" The driver made no waste of time leading the five officers to Mrs. Wheeler's dead body._

_            "No!!!" the officer cried. "That…is my wife's friend!" He knelt by the woman's side. "She has two young kids that are now orphaned. What are we going to do?"_

_            "Let's bring her and the two kids back to the castle. The king will know what to do." _

………

            Serenity screamed as she woke up. Her brother quickly quieted her down.

            "What's wrong, Sis?" he asked.

            "It's Mother! And Father! They're…they're dead!!" Joey hugged his sister.

            "It's okay!" he said. "It's just a dream!" He stroked her auburn hair. "Just a dream." As he patted her back, a knock sounded on the door.

            "They're home!" he cried, leaping off the couch and heading to the door. He opened it in a hurry. To his surprise, five officers stood there. One of them he recognized as his mother's friend's husband.

            "Mr. Roberts, what's wrong?" he asked. The officer knelt down and put both his hands on Joey's shoulder.

            "I have bad news…you're mother and father met with an accident on the way home."

            "NO!" Joey's yell made Serenity come to his side.

            "Joey…Serenity…they're…they're…they're not going to come home." Serenity burst into tears and kneeled by her older brother, who just stood staring out into space. "You must come to the castle." Joey nodded, though his eyes were far away.

            A few minutes later, they had managed to get cloaks on the children. Five horses and their riders galloped back to the castle where the king was waiting. The rain had started to slow down and their vision improved. In less than an hour, they had ridden through the gates.

            Leaving the horses to the stable boys, the officers rushed into the grand hall. The king was waiting for them, alongside his queen.

            "King Pegasus, your Majesty!" All the soldiers bowed. Joey managed an awkward one, but Serenity was too shaken to bow. "There was a carriage accident down by the river. The parents of these two children are dead." The king got up from his throne.

            "Another one?" he asked. "The rains don't seem to stop these days. This is the sixth carriage accident, and it hasn't even reached the middle of the week. This is the first death, however. We must arrange for a funeral. Come, officer, I want to speak to you about…" The king and the officers left the grand hall. The queen stood up and walked over to the children.

            "What are your names?" she asked.

            "I'm Joey, and this is my sister Serenity, Queen Cecilia, your Highness." Serenity was still crying. Cecilia took Serenity into her arms.

            "Oh you poor thing," she said. "You're so young."

            "She's only eight," Joey said. "I'm ten." The queen stroked Serenity's hair. Serenity's tears slowed to a trickle.

            "There, there. It's all right. I'll look after you." Behind her, a young boy came down the staircase. He had brown hair and the cutest blue eyes.

            "Mommy," he said. "Who's that?" Cecilia looked over her shoulder.

            "Seto, dear, come and meet these children." Seto walked over and stood near Serenity.

            "Why are you crying?" he asked. This only made Serenity cry harder again.

            "Seto, dear, why don't you show her a magic trick?" Cecilia said. Before she could speak more, the king summoned her. With a sigh, she went off to the other room. The three kids were left alone.

            "Look at this," Seto said as he took a pile of cards from his pocket. "I can do this!" He shuffled the cards in unique ways, over his shoulder, through his sleeves, and did the bridge. Serenity forgot all about her crying and started to laugh. Joey joined in as well. Seto tried to do the bridge again, but he bent the cards too much and they flew all over the place. Serenity laughed louder and hugged Seto.

            "Thanks," she said.

………

            "Is it true?" the king asked his officer, Dan Roberts. "You were friends with the two who died.

            "Yes, your Highness. They were quiet folk who lived pretty much on a deserted lane."

            "Do you know if they have any relations that can take Serenity and Joey in?"

            "Well sir-,"

            "My dear," the queen interrupted. "I thought maybe we could take them in. You know…"

            "No, Cecilia," Pegasus said. "They must live with their family. Continue, Officer."

            "Well, sir, they have only one relative. The two kids' mother has a cousin whose wife died in one of the earlier carriage accidents. His name is Gozaburo Kaiba, and he has two children of his own."

            "Perfect," Pegasus said. "I shall write a letter to him explaining the situation. You will take it to him tonight."

            "Yes sir!"

………

            The next day, morning sun's first beams crawled up Serenity's pillow. She yawned and awoke. Seto was sitting on the edge of her bed, with a Deck of cards in his hand. She screamed and pulled the blanket as close to her as possible.

            "Good morning," he said. "I'm sorry, but my mom told me to wake you. She says you have a visitor." Serenity blinked a couple of times and bounded out of bed. She raced to the bathroom.

            "My mom says she left a robe on the chair!" he hollered to her before going downstairs himself.

            After freshening up, Serenity donned the robe and came down the stairs. She remembered what had happened last night as soon as she found that she was still in the castle. The queen had told her that she and her brother were going to live with their relatives. Serenity didn't know that she even had a relative besides her parents.

            "Good morning!" Serenity snapped away from her thoughts by Queen Cecilia's melodious voice. "How was your sleep?"

            "Fine." Serenity yawned. She saw her brother helping himself to four pancakes at the same time. _Silly Joey, _she thought. Suddenly, she noticed that on the other side of the table, a man was staring at her.

            "This is Gozaburo Kaiba," Cecilia explained. "He is going to be your new stepfather!" Joey almost spit out the pancakes. The man stroked his beard and smiled. It was not a warm, friendly smile at all. 

            "Hello, Serenity. Joey. I haven't seen you both since you were babies." The king walked in.

            "Hello, Mr. Kaiba, sir. I hope you have decided to accept these two into your home."

            "Of course, what other choice do I have? I would never abandon anyone from my own family." His smile seemed to say otherwise.

            "Well, then, after breakfast, we'll sign all the legal documents making you their official guardian."

            "Very well, your Highness." Joey stepped in front of Serenity as if to block her.

            "I don't trust him," he whispered. Seto also stepped in front of Serenity, as if he were her bodyguard.

            "Serenity's my new friend. I don't trust this guy with her…at all."


	2. Our Little Servant

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I never will so STOP ASKING!!!

CHAPTER 2: Our Little Servant

            "Neither do I," Serenity admitted.

            "Don't worry, Sis, I'll protect you. I'll always be there to take care of you. I promise!" Serenity grabbed Joey's arm. Somehow she felt safer that way.

            After breakfast, Pegasus brought several papers for Gozaburo to sign. While that was going on, Seto kept Serenity and Joey busy by teaching them a simple magic trick. Serenity was having so much fun that she didn't even notice when Gozaburo put his hands on her shoulders.

            "Ready to go to your new home??" he asked. Serenity froze, and the jumped away with a yelp. Gozaburo gave a small chuckle.

            "She's very lively," Pegasus remarked. "I'm sure she'll like her new life." Gozaburo nodded and held his hand out to his two stepchildren.

            "Let's go," he said. They reluctantly took his hand. After bidding farewell to the royal family, they started toward the carriage that was waiting for them. Serenity took one last look back at Seto. He waved to her with a sigh. It was times like this when Seto wished he were an adult. Maybe then he could make sure she was safe.

            "Come back and visit!" he called.

            "I will!" Serenity replied.

………

            Serenity, Joey, and Gozaburo arrived at their house ten minutes later. The two children gaped. It was the biggest mansion they had seen. It had four floors and at least a hundred visible windows. Twin columns rose up on either side of the double oak doors. Gozaburo smirked when he saw his two stepchildren's faces. He led them inside.

            "Téa! Mai! Come see your new brother and sister." His voice echoed throughout the house. Finally, they heard footsteps as two girls tore down the stairs in their effort to come down. They both looked as old as Joey. One had blonde wavy hair; the other had straight brown. They gave their father a look like they saw an alien.

            "NEW SIBLINGS?" Mai screeched. "It's bad enough living with her!" She shot an accusing look at her sister.

            "Come on, Mai. We all have to get along. Siblings are like best friends."

            "Mai! Téa! Be more polite. Don't argue. I want both of you to welcome these two new children and introduce yourselves." His two daughters hesitated. "NOW!" Mai scowled and walked up to Serenity and Joey.

            "Fine. My name's Mai. I'm eleven and the oldest." She gave a flick of her long blonde hair and walked right back where she came from.

            "That was very welcoming," whispered Joey to his sister. The brown haired girl walked up next.

            "I'm Téa. I'm ten! Don't mind my sister. She's very selfish and stuck up. Very independent. She'll do anything to get her way. And, she doesn't like boys. That's okay. Both of you can be my bestest friends. The more the merrier." She held out her hand.

            "That's great, Téa," Serenity said. "I don't really have any friends. We used to live all alone on the street. I barely ever got to go out anywhere. Now I have one-,"

            "Well," Gozaburo interrupted. "I'm glad the two of you made a _great impression _on your new brother and sister." He shot Mai a I'm-gonna-ground-you look. She just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "This is Joey and Serenity. He's ten and she's eight. I'm sure you'll be very nice to them."

            "Of course!" Téa agreed. "Friends stick together and look after one another." Mai snorted. "I'll help you make friends with our neighbors. They're very friendly."

            "And I'll help you make friends with my friend," Serenity said.

            "Who's your friend? A street child?" Mai said sarcastically.

            "No, he's the prince. His name is Seto." Téa's jaw dropped and Mai rushed over.

            "_You're friends with the prince?_" Téa squealed. Mai smirked.

            "When I'm older, I'd rather make _out_ than make _friends_ with him." Téa gave her sister a scowl.

            "Not if I beat you first." Serenity was confused.

            "Make out? What's that mean?" she asked. Téa and Mai burst into giggles.

            "It's big girl stuff," Mai said. "You're not old enough." Serenity looked at her bigger brother. He shrugged, even though he knew what it meant.

            "Well, now girls. Why don't the three of you run a long and play?" Gozaburo suggested. "I have to talk to Joey for a second." Téa nodded and grabbed Serenity's hand. She pulled her up the stairs. Mai followed with a scowl. Gozaburo turned back to Joey.

            "Well, _son_, I must talk to you about some business matters." He led Joey into a private room. One servant was there, dusting the mantel. He bowed to Gozaburo as the two entered.

            "Mason," Gozaburo barked. "I want you and Bill to ride out to my cousin's home and bring these children's belongings." The servant bowed again and rushed out of the room. Gozaburo sat down in one of the leather lounge chairs by the fire. He took out a cigar and lit it.

            "Sit down, my boy," he instructed. Joey uneasily lowered himself into the chair opposite his stepfather.

            "Um…nice…" he said. Gozaburo let out a hearty chuckle.

            "Don't be so nervous, my boy. I want to discuss with you about education."

            "Education?"

            "Yes. You had to drive ten miles to go to that school when your parents were alive, yes?" Joey nodded. "Well, most of the time you didn't go because of the distance."

            "Yeah, I haven't been to school for the past two months."

            "We can't have that in the Kaiba household, Joey, my boy. You will eventually gain my entire Kaiba empire and the family business. You must be properly educated."

            "I have to go back to that school?"

            "Didn't you hear me? I said _properly _educated. No, you're going to Domino Academy." Joey's jaw dropped.

            "Why, that's the best boys' school in the whole kingdom. Everyone like me wants to go there. The problem is, it's in other side of Domino."

            "Yes, but it's a boarding school. You get to live there!"

            "But my sis-,"

            "Don't worry, my boy. She and her new sisters will be home schooled, taught by the best tutors my money can afford. I must tell you, that means the top notch." Joey leaned back in his seat.

            "The new school year starts in a week, you know that right? The Academy year is different than that of normal schools. The term starts in October all the way to February. You get March off, and then April to August. Then September off."

            "So, I get to start next week!"

            "I knew you'd be excited, Joey. Now, let's start figuring out what you'll need…"

………

            "And this is Fashion Molly," Mai said, holding out a doll with an exquisite ball gown and tumbles of golden locks.

            "This is Friendship Tina," Téa said, holding out her doll. It was plain with normal clothes and a ponytail. "She likes to make friends." They both held out their dolls to Serenity.

            "They're so pretty!" Serenity exclaimed. "I wish I had one!" Mai set a box in front of her. When Serenity opened the lid, it was filled with different dolls. At least a dozen lay in the box side by side in four layers.

            "I thought so," she said. "You can borrow one to play with." Serenity's face lit up as she sifted through the dolls, trying to pick the best one.

            "I choose…Princess Sara, isn't she pretty?" Serenity held up the doll. It had on a pretty pink gown with layers over layers of frills. Pink pearls were sewn in paisley pattern all over the bodice. The whole gown itself was made of silk. On the doll's head was a veil that could be pulled over the face. The doll even had black velvet gloves.

            "I guess," Mai said. "But mine is much more fashionable. Why did you choose the princess anyway? Princesses are usually stuck-up."

            "Not really. Queen Cecilia was probably a princess once, and she's very nice."

            "So is her son," Téa remarked. "He's also cute, don't you think Serenity? I mean you have met him."

            "Cute? I guess so. I didn't really notice. I was more interested in his magic tricks. Besides, he's really nice too." Mai and Téa looked at each other.

            "Do you like him?"

            "Of course. He's like my best friend."

            "When you grow up, do you want to marry him?"

            "That would be cool. We could be queen and king and be best friends and rule Domino together." Mai and Téa smiled.

            "That would be nice."

            "So let's play," Serenity said. Mai and Téa moved their dolls up to Serenity's.

            "Let's pretend we're at a ball and we're dancing!!" Mai exclaimed. She twirled her doll around. Serenity and Téa joined her just when they heard a yell from downstairs.

            "SERENITY!" The auburn haired girl whipped around.

            "Joey!" she dropped her doll and raced downstairs. Mai set hers down and crossed her arms.

            "Good riddance," she mumbled.

            "Ah, come on, she's nice," Téa said.

            "I don't like her. She'll ruin our chances to be with Seto."

            "Why would she do that?"

            "Listen up, Téa. Don't you get it? All the other children in our neighborhood only like us cause we're rich. They think I'm a stuck up brat and you a friendship freak. No one really wants to play with us. On the other hand, Serenity, in your book, is _very nice_. Even the prince likes her. What chance do we have?"

            "You hate her cause of the prince."

            "I know you like him too. Get with the program. Miss Serenity here is our exact opposite, which everyone likes."

            "So what are we going to do?"

            "We have to make it so that none of the other kids, including Prince Seto, sees her."

            "How? Lock her in the attic?"

            "No. If we just keep her _busy_, she won't have time to come outside."

………

            "What is it, Joey?" Serenity asked as she came down the stairs. Joey seemed to be bouncing for joy.

            "Serenity! Serenity! I'm going to Domino Academy!"

            "The boys boarding school? Really? You've been wanting to go there!"

            "Yeah! I get to live at that school! The rest of the boys are going to be my family!!!"

            "Wow! That's so cool! But…what about me?"

            "Don't worry Sis. You'll be home schooled with the best teachers."

            "But Joey, you aren't going to leave me?"

            "Don't worry, Serenity, we'll be together in our hearts…"

………

            "Bye! Joey I'll miss you!" A week had passed by quickly. Gozaburo, Serenity, Téa, and Mai stood on the front steps of the mansion waving Joey goodbye. He sat down in the carriage and waved back.

            "I'll miss all of you. Remember, Serenity, we're always be together in our hearts!"

            "I'll remember!"

            "And if you ever get lonely, visit Seto! He's like your big brother too!"

            "I will!"

            "Bye!" With a neigh, the horses raced off. Serenity sighed as she watched her brother leave. _He's right. We'll always be together. _

            "Come on, it's time to begin your lessons." Gozaburo went inside the house. Serenity followed him. Téa started to climb the stairs but Mai held her back.

            "Now that he's gone, we can put our plan into play." Téa narrowed her eyebrows.

            "What plan?"

            "Remember what I said?"

            "No…"

            "We're going to keep Serenity busy. _Very busy!_ She's gonna be our little servant!"


	3. Gozaburo's Business Trip

Disclaimer: Does it look like I own Yu-Gi-Oh!? Oh, right, you can't see me. Anyway, since that's the case, I'll just tell you I don't.

CHAPTER 3: Gozaburo's Business Trip

            Ten years passed and Serenity had grown to become a very nice, beautiful girl. Mai and Téa noticed how all the other boys seemed to enjoy Serenity's company more than theirs. Of course, Mai and Téa didn't really care about those boys. What they cared about was how Prince Seto would react to Serenity now that they had grown older. With every passing day, they grew more jealous.

            Meanwhile, Gozaburo realized his stepson was starting to become of age to take over his empire. Joey would be graduating from the Academy soon enough. Gozaburo had to make sure his company was ready in all areas for the change. He had several branches in several kingdoms, and he had to see to it they were all ready. His son would be home in a month, tops.

            "Serenity, Mai, Téa!" Gozaburo decided he should tell his daughters about his trip right then. He would have to leave immediately if he wanted to be back by the time his stepson came.

            "Yes, Father?" The three girls stepped into the office room. Gozaburo smiled and arranged some papers on his desk.

            "I have something very important to tell you," he said. "You know that Joey is going to graduate Domino Academy in a month and take over my company."

            "Yes, we know. We know," Mai said. "You've only told us a million times how _proud_ you are of your _son_."

            "Well, now that he is about to gain the Kaiba empire, I must make sure everything is in order for his return. I need to check in some of our offices in neighboring kingdoms."

            "So you're going on a business trip?" Téa queried.

            "Exactly. Now I know you three girls are old enough to take care of yourselves and the mansion by yourself."

            "We can't!" Mai cried. "There are no servants here!" Gozaburo narrowed his eyes.

            "What happened to them?"

            "Uh………"

            "It's all Mai's fault!" Téa complained. "Every time they do something wrong, she fires them."

            "Father let me, and those rascals totally deserve it!" Gozaburo sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

            "Girls! Just calm down. It seems you'll have to do the housework until I come back and can hire some new ones." Mai and Téa gaped at him.

            "Us??? Housework? You mean like … chores?" They shuddered at the word. Serenity gave them a sideways glance.

            "Yes." Gozaburo smiled. "Since you were the ones who rid the servants in the first place. Now, take turns and share the work. Need I remind you, you all are adults now? I must go get packing." Gozaburo left the room. Mai glared after him.

            "Of all the nerve! He wants us to cook and clean a four story mansion?" she asked incredulously.

            "That must be two hundred rooms, seeing how wide it is!" Téa complained. "We'll never get all that done. By the time we finish them all once, it'll be time to clean them again."

………

            "Farewell! Make sure you all do your chores!" Gozaburo called. He stepped into the carriage with his briefcase. One of the footmen loaded his suitcases. Mai and Téa frowned as the carriage pulled away. Serenity was the only one waving good-bye. She turned to her sisters.

            "We better get started on cleaning," she said. The three girls went inside the house. Immediately, Serenity got a mop and an apron. She tied it over her red dress and grabbed a bucket as well.

            "Téa, can you help by filling this-," Serenity looked around. Her two sisters were nowhere to be found. "TÉA! MAI!" Serenity rushed into the living room. Mai was sprawled across a couch, and Téa was sitting on a stool combing her short brown hair.

            "Did you call us?" Mai asked, straightening up. She smoothed out her long purple dress over her knees.

            "Um, yeah! You guys, we need to get cleaning or else we'll never get it all done." Mai looked at Téa. Téa glanced at Serenity, then back at Mai. The two girls shook with laughter.

            "Do we look like maids?" Mai asked, throwing back some of her wavy blonde hair. "You go ahead, we don't feel like it." Serenity crossed her arms.

            "And I suppose you think I look like a servant girl then."

            "You definitely don't look like one of us," Téa said. "Probably, I couldn't tell the difference between you and a maid. Now, like you said, you'll never get done with all the chores unless you start right away."

            "Fine!" Serenity stomped off. Mai giggled.

            "We're going to have fun with her." 

………

            Three weeks passed and Serenity ended up doing all of the housework every day. She barely had time to go out and chat with her friends. Mai and Téa were happy that she was no longer their problem.

            "It's nice to have a servant again," Mai said. She fell back on the couch.

            "Right," Téa agreed, sitting beside her sister. They watched as Serenity mopped the foyer.

            "Her, Serenity!" Mai called. Serenity looked up and frowned. "Can you get us some hot chocolate, please?" Serenity sighed and rested the mop on the door. She went off to obey her sisters. She had become used to being bossed around in such a fashion. She didn't really feel like going outside anyway. It was almost December and it was freezing cold. Which reminded her about how cold it was inside. She was wearing a pink ribbed sweater over her black floor-length dress, with three petticoats. She even wore boots and a pair of gloves. Still, she was cold.

            "Maybe I should light the fireplace," she thought out loud. She went to make the hot chocolate. Carrying it back to her sisters made her hands warm. But the rest of her was cold.

            "Mmm…tasty!" Téa remarked. "But I think lighting the fireplace would make us warmer."

            "I was thinking the same thing," Serenity said. She knelt down by the fireplace to clean it up.

            "It must be really cold outside if it is already this cold inside," Mai said. She got up and went into the foyer. She opened he door and peeked outside.

            "Yep, really cold." A sudden gust of wind threw open the door, knocking over a glass vase in the foyer. It blew into the living room too, blowing cinders into Serenity's face and sweater. Mai closed the door.

            "Phew! That was kind of scary!" Serenity straightened her hair and tried to dust off the cinders.

            "Look at your face!" Mai exclaimed. "Most unfashionable!" Téa glanced at Serenity and burst out giggling.

            "We should call you Cinder-Serenity!" she suggested. Serenity glared at her two sisters.

            "Come on, _Cinder-Serenity_, clean up the glass vase," Mai ordered. Serenity planted her hands on her hips.

            "Why don't you do it? You haven't done anything! Do something to help at least." Mai rolled her eyes and got a broom. She gave it to Serenity.

            "There, Cinder-Serenity, why don't you be a good girl and clean up now?" Serenity snatched the broom and headed off to the foyer. She could hear Mai's satisfied sigh behind her. She had a feeling things had gone from bad to worse.


	4. First Meeting

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Cinderella, okay? Now shoo!

CHAPTER 4: First Meeting

            The next day, Serenity was mopping the floor of the kitchen. Her sisters were entertaining themselves by playing cards. Not ordinary cards, but Duel Monsters. It was a very popular game ever since it had come out five years before.

            "I attack your Shining Friendship with my Cyber Harpie!" Mai announced. "You lose!" Téa scowled.

            "We've played ten games straight, and you beat me nine times!"

            "You only won the first one because I forgot to summon a monster that turn."

            "Argh!"

            "This game is boring. I want to play someone that it takes actual skill to defeat."

            "Try Prince Seto. He's rumored to be the best Duel Monsters player ever known. He knows all the strategies, every hidden power, all the possible moves, and he knows them well."

            "What do you expect? His father invented Duel Monsters." Serenity shook her head and continued mopping. She knew one of the reasons they wanted to play that game was because they hoped to someday challenge Prince Seto. They didn't necessarily want to win; they just wanted to face him.

            "I bet you wouldn't last a second in a duel with him, Téa."

            "You wouldn't be any better. Let's say, I'll give you two seconds tops." Mai and Téa glared at each other. Serenity couldn't help but smile from her view in the kitchen. The game often put two best friends in a match together and while they're playing it, they'd be enemies. But somehow, they'd pull together when they were through. Serenity knew it would be a long time before she ever got caught up in that silly game.

            "Anyway," Mai said. "It's better if we don't start another match or else I'll cream you like before."

            "You did say we have to go to the market. I mean…there are no servants to get our food for us. Or to cook… so let's get going."

            "Good idea. We better get all the food we need."

            "Let's make a list."

            "That takes too much time. Let's just get dressed and go." Téa and Mai gathered their cards from the table.

            "Cinder-Serenity!" Mai came into the kitchen. Serenity rolled her eyes at the mention of that name. "We're going to the market. You best wear something suitable enough." Serenity gaped after. Usually whenever they had to go out, they always left Serenity inside. This was new…

            In a few minutes, Serenity changed into a pale purple dress that was way too long. It dragged across the floor. The fact that it was wool wasn't helping; it was quite a bit heavy too. To cover up the low neckline, Serenity put on a thin sweater over it. She tied her hair up with a purple ribbon.

            "Mai, Téa!" she called. As usual, they were taking an hour to get dressed. Serenity paced up and down the hallway. Téa was the first to come out in her navy blue dress, followed by Mai in purple velvet.

            "Let's go!" They raced down the stairs, followed by Serenity who tried to keep from falling down the stairs while she rushed to keep up with them.

………

            "How about that one?" Téa asked. They had been in the market for over an hour. Instead of buying groceries like they had initially set out to do, Serenity found herself holding packages of dresses and jewelry. It was hard to hold up her skirts, seven bags, and three boxes. She had fitted her arms through the handles of the bags, but their weight was starting to dig into her arm, even through the wool sleeves.

            "I think it's a bit too fancy, don't you think?" Mai and Téa were looking at lace fans. "How about that one. I love the color." Mai pointed to a purple fan with blue stones arranged in a flower pattern. "I want that one." The storekeeper held out the fan to her. Mai gave him back three gold pieces.

            "I think I'll take that one," Téa said, pointing to a blue one with white sequins. The storekeeper gave it to her, and got back three coins in exchange. After putting both in a box, they placed on top of the stack Serenity was trying hard not to tip over. The stack was now at level with the top of her head.

            "Be sure not to lose those!" Mai warned. Serenity nodded in response, and the whole stack wobbled. She never new carrying four boxes could be so much trouble.

            "Look!" Téa exclaimed, pointing to a candy store. "In the window, they have Peppermint-Sugarcane now!" Mai licked her lips.

            "Cinder, dear, you can go around and do whatever you want. We might take a while." The two girls rushed to the candy shop, leaving Serenity with her precarious packages. She grimaced before turning around and walking off.

            The market was a very big place, Serenity soon realized. It had so many twists and turns to it. Every single spot was taken by some shop or stall. Serenity saw so many people it made her head spin. She spent her time looking at goods through the windows, or gazing at the food stalls. That mixed with the cold in the air had started to make her very hungry. That reminded her that her sisters hadn't gotten any groceries.

            I better go tell them! Serenity turned around to head back and came to face a fork. She didn't remember if she had come from the right or the left one. Think, Serenity, think! Guessing, she took the left one. She came across more branches of roads. Sometimes, she came to a place where roads stretched in the four main points of the compass. Serenity had to admit it…she was lost. She didn't find any of the shops or landmarks familiar.

            I could always ask for directions. Serenity looked around for someone to ask. All the people brushed past her so fast she couldn't even see their faces properly.

            "Hello! Excuse me! Excuse me! I need some directions!" No one stopped to answer her request. When she was about to give up, she spotted a man leaning against the corner of a wall. She rushed to him.

            "Excuse me, sir, can you help me find my way back to the silver fountain?" The man looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Please?"

            "Well, Missy, you want to find your way back?" The man gave Serenity a devilish grin. "I know a great shortcut." Serenity breathed a sigh of relief.

            "Will you take me then?" The man never stopped grinning.

            "Sure, Miss, this way." Serenity followed the man as he turned multiple corners and went down different roads. Serenity started to feel unsure whether the man was really helping her.

            Finally, the two reached a narrow alleyway.

            "Here? But it's so dark!"

            "It's a short cut," the man said. Then, with an evil smirk, he pushed Serenity inside. She tripped on her skirt and fell into the alley, spilling all her packages.

            "Hey-,"

            "Boys, we've got company!" Serenity's eyes widened as two more men came out of the darkness in the alleyway. Serenity quickly got to her feet and looked around. The three men were approaching her from all around. She was trapped.

            "What do you want?" she demanded, backing up against the wall. The three men surrounded her.

            "What else but all the money in your purse, Missy!"

            "I don't have any!" The tallest man clicked his tongue.

            "That's what all the others say, and so we search them."

            "Search???" Serenity pulled her sweater tightly around her.

            "That's what happened to the last one," the middle man cocked his head to the side and motioned to the far wall. Serenity saw a pile of clothes sprawled about. "I reckon she's farther along the alley, and the men are still searching her." The three men gave a very evil laugh. Serenity backed up against the wall as far as she could go.

            "You despicable men!" The three of them approached her, grinning quite maliciously.

            "It won't take too long," they said. Serenity looked around her. There was no way out. Two hands grabbed her wrists and pinned them against the wall. Another gripped her hair.

            "We're going to have fun with you!" Serenity struggled to get out of their grasp. An idea popped into her head. In one motion, she ducked down and rolled.

            "Get her!" The men took a moment to comprehend what happened. Serenity used that time to get a necklace from her sister's packages. By the time the men reached her again, she flung the necklace at the nearest man. He fell backwards with a moan. Serenity threw a box into the next man, who tumbled into the last one. Serenity ran out of the alley.

            "I told you to get her!!!" The men chased after her. Serenity found it much easier to run without a thousand packages in her hands. She took many turns. She had no idea where she was going, but it was obvious the men did. Not many people were on the roads to come. Serenity knew there was no way out. Her skirts fell out of her grip and she stumbled to the floor. She stood and turned and saw the men gaining on her. She backed up nervously. She couldn't run forever.

            "What are you men doing?" Serenity bumped into someone. He must've been tall because she only hit his chest…at least she thought. She was too scared to turn and look. The men who had been chasing her turned and ran back to where they came. Serenity sighed with relief.

            "Who are you?" Serenity spun around and gasped. This was the man her sisters thought about day and night…the one man they thought they'd never meet. Prince Seto himself.

            "I'm…I'm S-Serenity W-Wheel-Kaiba." Serenity backed up. "I'm lost." The prince smirked and took a step forward for every step Serenity took back.

            "I can help you," he offered.

            "Uh…so which way to I go?"

            "Left."

            "Left?"

            "Right."

            "Then right."

            "No, left twice."

            "So left both times?"

            "Right."

            "Answer my question."

            "I did answer your question."

            "Left or right?"

            "Left."

            "Left…"

            "Right."

            "Then right?"

            "No, left."

            "Then why'd you say right?" Serenity crossed her arms. Seto chuckled when he realized how confused he had made her. He found it quite amusing.

            "Sorry, Ms. WheelKaiba, are you not comprehending my directions?"

            "It's Kaiba! Not WheelKaiba!"

            "You said it."

            "I said Wheeler."

            "Okay then, Wheeler, do you not understand my directions?"

            "Apparently not. Why don't you just lead me there? And lastly, it's Kaiba."

            "Wheeler sounds much better. Anyway, I cannot acquiesce to your implausible request because there are some girls out there that would mob me the instant I got into their presence, and so therefore I must decline and instead elucidate the directions to you in my most royal fashion. Got that?"

            "At least half of it…if you hadn't spoken so fast."

            "Good, Wheeler, anyways…"

            "It's Kaiba…"

            "That name sounds familiar…are you by any chance related to Gozaburo Kaiba, the leader of the Kaiba Corp. company?

            "I am his step daughter. Now, will you please give me directions?"

            "Left, left, right, left, right, right, left, straight, left, right."

            "What?"

            "Tsk, tsk, you should have gotten that Wheeler."

            "Repeat please."

            "Do I look like a machine?"

            "Please?"

            "Right, right, left, right, left, left, right, backwards, right, left."

            "That sounds like the opposite of what you told me earlier."

            "It is. Since you have figured that out, I suppose you don't need me to repeat the directions to you again."

            "But I don't know where to start and which set to use."

            "Then I suppose you are lost."

            "Please! Just help me?"

            "Left twice, right, left, right twice, left, straight, left, right."

            "Will you please not talk so fast? I cannot understand a single thing you're saying."

            "That's too bad for you, isn't it?" Seto smirked and walked off.

            "I'm just asking…politely! Please, Seto. Just once, tell me slowly."

            "Left twice…right…left…right twice…left…straight…left…right. Got that?"

            "Yes." Serenity turned and ran back, muttering those words in her head. Seto watched her for a second.

            "Oh, what do I have to lose?" Shrugging, he followed her down the alley. Serenity never noticed as she went down the streets the way he said. When she made the final right turn, she found herself in a dead end.

            "But? I did everything right! That jerk!" Serenity fell to her knees and tears poured down her cheeks. "Now I'm more lost than ever!" She noticed footsteps coming toward her. For an instant she thought of the men earlier.

            I don't care anymore. I just want to go home, and I can't even do that! The figure the footsteps belonged to crouched down next to her.

            "Hey, I'll take you home." Serenity looked up and found herself looking at Seto. He stretched out his hand and she took it. "Where do you live?"

            "Somewhere…just take me to the fountain and I'll be okay." Seto shrugged and pulled her up from the ground.

            "Hurry!" he led her out of the street and into another. Before long, they had reached the silver fountain that marked the beginning of the market.

            "Thanks…" Serenity let go of his hand and ran toward the candy store.

            "I'm sorry!" he called after her. I said sorry? Great, she must have cast a spell on me. And a good one too… His thoughts were interrupted when he caught the attention of a couple of girls coming from a restaurant. They gaped when they saw him. Oh-Oh! I got to run!

            Serenity made her way to the candy store. Her sisters came out to greet her.

            "What happened to all our stuff?" they demanded.

            "W-w-well you see…"

            "No excuses! You lost it didn't you?"

            "You are in so much trouble……………"


	5. Invited

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did, then this story would be on TV and not on a website.

CHAPTER 5: Invited

            "No! I'm serious! I did get lost and stuff. And Se - the prince helped me. I'm serious!" Serenity protested as her sisters scowled at her. Mai and Téa had just bought at least three bags of candy a piece and had come outside the candy store to find an empty-handed Serenity stuttering an excuse.

            "So, you're saying you were cornered by three weird guys who were harassing you and Prince Seto comes and saves you? So, you're the pitiful damsel in distress and he's your knight in shining armor? Are you trying to make us jealous?" Téa demanded.

            "No. I was running and I bumped into Seto - err - Prince Seto, who scared off the guys who were chasing me. And, when they cornered me…no wait, this is out of order. You see, first I was lost -," Serenity saw the look of annoyance on both her sisters' faces.

            "Clearly a made up tale," Mai scoffed, "if you keep on adding stuff and messing it up."

            "I didn't make it up! You guys gotta believe me!" Serenity pleaded. Her sisters looked at each other and shook their heads.

            "I think this is the last time you're coming to the market with us. Now come on, you still have a lot of cleaning to do. You're not going to smell the fresh air for at least a year."

            "Yeah, forget about it, Cinder."

………

            Seto shook his head as he remembered the events that had happened this afternoon. He shuffled his Duel Monsters Deck as he waited for his parents to stop arguing with each other on what the palace cooks were going to make that night. It was quite a scene to be in the throne room, on the actual thrones themselves, arguing. Seto leaned against one of the tall marble columns. The servants passing down the halls glanced quizzically at the two royals as they proceeded on their daily chores.

            "We had chicken three days ago, Maximillion, and so I think salad is the best thing to have. I mean, we haven't had it for six months."

            "That's because it's disgusting. Who wants to eat leaves for dinner?"

            "I do!"

            "Oh."

            "Anyway, it's much healthier."

            "So is chicken. Protein is good for you."

            "Salad is still better. Think of all the vegetables you're eating."

            "I think it makes you seem like you're a……… a something that eats leaves. Like those nicer dinosaurs that existed in the past. Anyway, let's remember we're humans." The two glared at each other. Seto rolled his eyes.

            "Ahem!" Pegasus and Cecilia looked at Seto. "I prefer spaghetti." The two royals thought to themselves. Just then, a little raven-haired boy poked his head in through the main doors.

            "Spaghetti?" he asked. "Did anyone say spaghetti? I want spaghetti!"

            "That settles it!" Pegasus declared. "We get spaghetti tonight. Okay, anyways…" He dismissed the Chief Cook and sat back in his throne.

            "You called me, yes?" Seto asked, standing straight and heading for his parents, still shuffling his cards. His little brother, Mokuba, tagged along behind him.

            "Yes, we did. Seto, my boy, your mother and I had a talk last night about some issues. I believe that the two of us are starting to grow old."

            "Of course. Everyone's growing old," Mokuba interrupted.

            "No, Mokuba, I mean growing too old. You know what I mean? Soon, we'll have to hand over the throne to Seto."

            "So," Cecilia continued. "What we decided was that it was time that you found yourself a bride." Seto dropped the cards he was holding.

            "WHAT???" His mind quickly flashed a picture of Serenity. For a moment, he considered her, and then wiped the memory clear. What am I thinking? "Me? Marry??"

            "Now, now," Cecilia said. "We expected that reaction from you. Keep your shirt on. Both of you have to marry someday and carry on the royal traditions. For right now, it's Seto's turn."

            "I don't want to marry!!"

            "Oh come now, Seto," Pegasus reasoned. "How else will we get to meet our grandchildren?"

            "I don't want to have children either!!"

            "Be sensible, my dear," Cecilia said. "If you are to carry the crown of the king upon you, then you must have a queen, and children to continue our family's bloodline."

            "Yeah, but still…"

            "You are mature enough not to act like girls carry germs, and that kissing and stuff isn't gross."

            "I've never kissed anybody…and I don't plan to. If I have to marry, the girl cannot come within two miles of me."

            "You're ridiculous, Seto. I'll bet that you won't be able to keep your eyes off the girl when you finally do marry."

            "Yeah, right."

            "Anyways, I just wanted to tell you about that. And in order to find a girl, what must we do?"

            "I don't know."

            "I know! I know! I know!" Mokuba cried. "We have a ball." Seto glared at his brother.

            "Wait a minute. First you tell me that I have to marry. Second you tell me I have to love her. Third you tell me I have to have children, and now you tell me I need to dance at some ball? Forget it!"

            "Well, how else will you be able to fall in love with your bride-to-be?"

            "Fall in love? Does it look like I'm a person who can fall in love?"

            "At least try it!!!"

            "Mom! Dad! This isn't some Duel Monsters game or anything! I'm not going to follow orders like your pet Duel Monster or something, and attack and defend when the… wait a minute, I've got an idea!!!"

            "Let's hear it then," Pegasus said. "Go on."

            "Okay, hear me out. I'll agree to some parts of your proposition, but not all. I'll marry a girl and love her…and maybe have children…" Pegasus and Cecilia smiled. "BUT………but only on one condition. I do not dance at some crazy ball." Pegasus and Cecilia looked at him with a curious expression.

            "Then what else?" Cecilia queried.

            "We have something else. Remember, I marry a girl and gain the throne of Domino and have children, but only if my own proposition is agreed to. And instead of a ball, I suppose that we have something else."

            "What?" Pegasus asked. Cecilia thought for a moment, before gasping.

            "Wait! Oh no, oh no, please no…"

            "I say, we have a Duel Monsters Tournament, and I'll marry the girl who can defeat me in a Duel. Take it, or leave it."

………

            "And not only that, but I want you to do it twice, to make sure it's extra clean."

            "But-,"

            "Then you have to clean our rooms and dust all the furniture."

            "But-,"

            "And oh yes, don't forget to scrub the foyer."

            "I did that-,"

            "I don't care when you did it, the mop wasn't good enough. A good scrubbing should do the trick." Serenity glared at her stepsisters. In order to make sure that Serenity didn't have time to go outside, they piled on her every chore they could think of that had been or needed to be done. However much Serenity tried to protest, her sisters refused to listen. She knew she had to do everything they said, and more after she was finished. Seeing no way out, Serenity went to the kitchen to find a pail and washcloth.

            "There," Téa said with a smirk after Serenity left. "That should keep her busy." Mai nodded in response. Meanwhile, Serenity filled her bucket with water and got a washcloth. Mumbling about "stupid sisters", she went off to the foyer. Even though it was a short walk, the bucket almost pulled her arm out of its socket. She nearly dropped it, sending a wave of water onto her dress.

            "Oh great!" she thought. Well, there are no servants around, so it wouldn't do any harm to take off my dress. Serenity slipped off her sweater and dress, leaving her in a pale white shift. Sure, it was cold, but she didn't want to be soaking wet by the time she was finished. And she surely didn't want to rip her dress by crawling on the tiles. Trying not to waste any time, she got to her knees and started scrubbing.

………

            "Seto! Are you crazy!! No one can defeat you in Duel Monsters, let alone a girl! This isn't a very feminine game. I don't really think girls out there are playing it," Cecilia protested. She and her husband were trying to persuade Seto to change his mind about the Duel Monsters Tournament.

            "You think? Every single girl out there hopes to challenge me in a duel. They're waiting for their chance. This is perfect!"

            "Seto, that doesn't mean their practice lessens your skill. Your own father can't beat you, and he invented the game."

            "Okay, I guess I can't get married then…" Seto turned and started walking out.

            "Wait!" Pegasus cried. Seto stopped with a smirk and turned. Pegasus gave Cecilia a meaningful glare. "He does…he does have a point." Cecilia opened her mouth to argue but shut it. "I mean, we can't make him do everything. If he wants a tournament, he'll have a tournament."

            "Perfect!" Seto exclaimed. "We'll have to use that Duel Disk, the latest one that Kaiba Corp. has issued."

            "Really," Pegasus interrupted. "I seriously don't get how we can manage to basically bring Duel Monsters to life using…'technology' and yet they haven't found a way to get around faster than horses. It's sad really."

            "I hear the neighboring kingdom does!" Mokuba informed. "They have stuff called auto…something."

            "Automobiles?" Seto queried. "Those things they say travels at least five times as fast as a horse at top speed, but costs a fortune. Mokuba, there are so many new fangled things out there-,"

            "Like the microwave…" Pegasus put in.

            "Vacuum…" Cecilia added.

            "Refrigerator…"

            "Television…"

            "Telephone…"

            "Anyways…as I was saying…there are so many new fangled things out there that are either expensive or haven't quite gotten to Domino yet. We're glad that Kaiba Corp. headquarters is in our kingdom and we get their technology."

            "Yeah…" Cecilia said. "Anyways, I think that about sums it up. We'll have a Duel Monsters Tournament, and the girl who can beat you wins your hand in marriage and your heart. Right?"

            "Right!"

"Then prepare to send out the invitations. Seto, you personally should go and invite them. I think the girls will be very thrilled with that." Seto nodded his head and left the throne room. As he walked out the door, he paused and turned around.

            "Good thing we're not having a ball…I can't dance." His parents rolled his eyes.

            "I know that," Mokuba said. "Remember the ball last year. You tripped on your footwork and sent half the ballroom off balance." Mokuba cracked up with laughter, and even his brother laughed.

            "Don't worry. I know how to hold my own in Duel Monsters."

………

            Serenity finally finished her scrubbing. It was nearly dinnertime and she hadn't cooked at all. Not that she knew how. Her sisters had been getting along with leftovers, but now those were gone. Unfortunately, they forgot to buy groceries at the market.

            "Just great!" Serenity sighed. When she was about to put away the tools she was using, the doorbell rang.

            "Get it Cinder!" came a shout from the upper floor. "We're busy!" Serenity rolled her eyes as she went to answer the door. Unfastening the bolts, she swung open the door.

            "Yes?" she asked, before gasping. In front of her stood Prince Seto himself. Twice in one day? She was one lucky gal…or was she?

            "Well, well, Wheeler…I didn't know I'd find you here." Serenity found herself growing red in the face.

            "Oh hi…" Seto smirked as his gaze followed down her body.

            "Is this the latest fashion?" he asked. Serenity's eyes widened as she noticed she was wearing a very thin shift, which happened to be very transparent and scandalously cut.

            "OH MY GOSH!!!" Serenity frantically looked around for the closest thing to cover herself, and her gaze fell on decorative tablecloth folded up on the couch. She quickly grabbed it and wrapped it around her like a shawl. Seto chuckled silently, causing Serenity to blush red, cherry red.

            "I hope I didn't interrupt anything important," Seto said. Serenity looked everywhere but at his eyes. She was so embarrassed that it wasn't even funny.

            "No…you didn't interrupt anything…I was just cleaning up…yes, cleaning up… that's all. W-w-why?"

            "Oh, it's really nothing. If you were cleaning in your…whatever that was, I suppose no one was around to see you so the house is virtually empty besides you."

            "N-n-yes. No one else is here."

            "I suppose then I must leave. I was supposed to give invitations to…it says on the envelope…" Seto took out a white envelope and studied the address. "To Mai and Téa Kaiba or something…say…that must be those two daughters of Gozaburo Kaiba that I've heard so much about. They wouldn't be your stepsisters would they?" Serenity scowled.

            "They are. They are currently out right now. If you want, you can give the invitation to me and I'll give it to them. What is it for?" Seto handed the invitation to Serenity, who studied the envelope.

            "It's for a Duel Monsters tournament." Serenity raised her eyebrows. "My mom got this idea that I should get married and gain the throne of Domino…" Serenity's eyes grew wider. "Therefore, I'm holding a tournament for all girls. The girl who can defeat me gets to marry me. Sounds wacky? My mom made up most of it." Serenity smiled as she looked at the envelope.

            "It says my name! I'm invited?" Seto smirked.

            "I don't think you're the type. Have you ever played Duel Monsters?" Serenity shook her head. "Then don't bother. This competition is a serious one. I didn't think you'd be the type that would enter." Serenity scowled and placed her hands on her hips.

            "I can do whatever I want to do!" she insisted. Seto pulled out his Duel Monsters Deck and shuffled it, as was his habit. He did the bridge and several other tricks, including shuffling the cards through his sleeves and over his back. Serenity gasped in amazement.

            "Whoa!!!" she cried. "That's so cool! I use to know someone who did that with ordinary playing cards."

            "I use to use those, when I was ten. There was this one girl I met once. She had just been orphaned and was very sad. With my magic tricks, I made her laugh. Of course…I did mess up…" Serenity giggled.

            "Princes aren't perfect." Seto nodded.

            "You remind me of her, you know?" he said. "She had the same hair…and eyes. Sometimes I feel I can remember her name, or her voice, or her laughter…but I can't."

            "Ooohh…did you have a crush on her?" Serenity teased, before suddenly realizing she was talking to the prince and not some everyday Joe. "Oh, sorry…"

            "No, it's okay. I'm not sure. She was just my friend, even though I felt very connected to her the first minute I met her."

            "Anyway, give it to your sisters. Don't bother coming unless you can learn how to duel and plan top class strategies in two weeks."

            "I want to come! I have to!"

            "Really? Do you want to marry me that much?"

            "That's not why I want to come! I just…I mean… uh, oh…argh!!"

            "Just kidding. Just to let you know though, when my mom first told me I needed a bride, I thought of you first. See ya…" Seto smirked and left, leaving Serenity feeling very, very embarrassed.

            "Me?"


	6. Preparing

Disclaimer: Don't ask me if I own Yu-Gi-Oh! cause the answer is no.

CHAPTER 6: Preparing

            Serenity hurried up the stairs. As much as she would have not given her sisters the invitations, it would've been worse if they figured out some other way. Sighing, she opened the door to their bedroom.

            "Um… Mai? Téa?" she called. Her sisters looked up from combing each other's hair.

            "What happened?" Mai asked, barely even looking at Serenity. Téa glanced at Serenity quizzically.

            "What in the world happened to your gown?" Téa queried. Serenity looked down. She was still wearing the tablecloth draped over her shift.

            "Oh…um…I didn't want it to get dirty so I took it off," Serenity informed. Téa nodded with satisfaction and resumed combing Mai's hair. "Anyways, what I wanted to say was that the prince came over and gave this invitat-,"

            "WHAT!" The two sisters exclaimed. "THE PRINCE!!! THE PRINCE SETO!?" They started to freak out and scream. "NO! We missed him!"

            Take a chill pill, Serenity thought. It's only a guy. Well, one extremely handsome, cute, hot guy…yeah, but still just a guy. Serenity rolled her eyes and took out the invitation.

            "He told me to give these to you," she said, handing the invitation to Mai. She almost jumped for joy. Téa squealed and ran over. She ran her hand over the envelope.

            "Oh my gosh! I'm touching something the prince touched!" she exclaimed. Serenity felt the need to puke. Mai opened the envelope and took out three invitations. One she handed to Téa, one she kept to herself, and the other she carelessly threw over to Serenity. Téa was eagerly rubbed the invitation on her cheek. The other two were busy reading it.

            "OH NO WAY!!! THIS IS PERFECT!" Mai cried after a minute, waving the invitation in the air. "This is way too perfect!" Téa stopped rubbing the invitation and scanned it with her eyes.

            "What does it say?" she asked eagerly.

            "There's going to be a Duel Monsters Tournament!" Téa whooped with joy. "The winner gets to marry the prince!" Both girls exclaimed in excitement and ran around doing a victory dance. Serenity sighed and read the letter again.

            "It's in two weeks. All girls eighteen and older are allowed to enter!" Serenity stated. "That means me too!" Mai and Téa stopped celebrating and glared at Serenity.

            "Very funny," Mai scoffed. "Do you think the prince would want to marry you?" Serenity crossed her arms. She remembered what Seto had said to her.

            _Just to let you know though, when my mom first told me I needed a bride, I thought of you first._

"Besides," Mai continued, "you couldn't make one move in Duel Monsters if you're life depended on it."

            "I bet I could!" Serenity protested. "I watch you play a lot! I know some cool moves."

            "Do you have your own cards?" Téa asked. Serenity opened her mouth and quickly closed it. "See, you can't duel."

            "I can always get cards!!"

            "Who's going to pay for them?" Mai challenged. Serenity thought for a moment.

            "Stop arguing," Téa advised. "Now, you better resume your cleaning. Tomorrow, my sister and I are going to go shopping to boost our Deck power. It's too late today."

            "Right. Get back to work."

………

            By the time Serenity finished cooking and cleaning, it was already three past midnight. Serenity fell asleep immediately. Exactly six hours later, her sister, Téa, woke her up.

            "Serenity!" Serenity yawned and moaned. With a sigh, she cleared her eyes. "We're going to the market." Serenity snapped to attention. "By the time we get back, I want you to finish lunch. We'll be back by noon." Téa left the room. Serenity blinked a few times before the realization hit her. She was going to be home all by herself!!!

            She waited until her two sisters left the house before rushing to the bathroom. She helped herself to her sisters' wide assortment of bath salts and lavender soothing bath crystals. After a refreshing bath, she went down and had a big breakfast. She looked at the time and found she had more than two hours left.

            "You know, I have a good idea…maybe I should go to the market myself. See if I can get myself a Deck." Serenity agreed to her own proposition and hurried upstairs to get dressed. She wore one of Téa's prettiest dresses. It was a dark green, with ruffles everywhere. It was a tad too long, but other than that it was perfect. By the time the clock struck ten, she was ready to leave.

            "I can finish lunch when I come back," she decided.

            Five minutes later, she had made her way to the market. This time, almost every girl in the whole kingdom was crowded around the major Deck Shops. Serenity knew she wouldn't be able to get in and out of one in time for lunch. Suddenly, she saw Mai and Téa come out of a store to her right. Panicking, she lunged into a smaller shop and came face to face with an old woman.

            "Are you alright, Dearie?" she asked.

            "I'm…I'm…fine, really I am!" Serenity insisted. "Sorry."

            "Don't you hate the crowd?" the old woman asked, looking out the window. "I'm glad almost no one notices my game shop." Serenity turned around and gasped. Every glass showcase was filled with Duel Monster cards.

            "Um…yeah…well…I gotta get going. I don't have any money." Serenity turned to leave the shop.

            "Who is it?" Serenity struggled to hear the voice coming from the back. "Who is it?" Serenity noticed a short old man in the background.

            "Ah…Dearie, this is my husband, Solomon. He runs this game shop." The old man smiled and waved.

            "It's been a while since pretty little ladies came to my shop. My only customer is the prince himself, and the money he pays is way more than enough to keep me in business. I'm the only one who owns the rarest cards."

            "I see," Serenity responded. "Well, it was just that I was trying to avoid somebody. I must be going now."

            "What do you mean?" asked Solomon. "Don't you want to buy any cards? I heard there's a big Duel Monsters tournament for women…you can duel can't you?"

            "Yes…and no," Serenity confessed. "You see, I never really had any interest in Duel Monsters. I thought it was too complicated. When my sisters play it, I watch and sometimes make note of whatever moves they use. That is, if I'm not busy with my chores. I myself don't play. I don't have an existing Deck or money to buy one."

            "Hmm…interesting," Solomon remarked. "Do you have any interest in it now?"

            "Oh yes!!" Serenity exclaimed. "I would love to learn and play, and maybe even attend the tournament." She thought of how Seto would react if she had learned and beat him in a game.

            "You know…" Solomon's wife said. "My husband is a great duelist himself. He's a great teacher too. He taught our grandson, who is going to be the judge of the tournament, the ropes of dueling. He could probably teach you."

            "Yes, I believe I could," Solomon agreed. "I'm usually bored around here anyway."

            "Can you do it in two weeks or less?" Serenity queried. Solomon scratched his gray beard.

            "Can't make any promises, but I'll assure you you'll know the rules and a few strategies."

            "OH THANK YOU!!" Serenity literally jumped on Solomon, wrapping her arms around his neck. Solomon smiled.

            "I knew you'd be enthusiastic. Now, to get started, we must get you a Deck."

………

            "Mai, I swear I saw Serenity go through that store right there," Téa said, pointing at a small game shop. Mai squinted at it.

            "No way. Why would Serenity be in the middle of a game shop when we specifically told her to cook lunch?"

            "I don't know, Sis, but her dress looked like my favorite dark green one. You know, with the ruffles all down the skirt."

            "You must have been imagining things. Just because you saw someone wearing a green dress like yours, doesn't mean it's Serenity. Now, we have a little less than two hours to get back. I think we should look for some higher level Duel Monsters."

            "Let's go into that one!" Mai decided, pointing at a store neighboring the small game shop Téa had pointed out earlier. They rushed into it.

………

            "You should also take this card," Solomon advised, giving Serenity a card from his shelf. "It's called Oracle Gate, and it has a very good effect. Oh, and this card too! It's called Attack vs. Defense. These two are good cards to have in a Deck." Serenity listened to every word he said. While talking about the different types of cards, he also told her the basic rules of Duel Monsters. Serenity was a good student and asked many questions.

            "So, if my monster is in Defense mode, and my opponent attacks it and it is destroyed, I still don't lose any Life Points?"

            "That's right, most of the time. Some monsters have a special ability that will allow them to still lower your Life Points. Like this card, Devil's Angel."

            "Interesting."

            "Oh yeah, while we're at it, I'll teach you some color stuff. You see this card, Devil's Angel? Well, it's orange because it has a special effect. Regular monsters are like yellow, ritual monsters are blue, and fused monsters are purple. There are also many symbols on the card. You see here, Devil's Angel has this small icon in the upper right corner that says 'Light' on it. That's its attribute. Special magic cards can increase a monster's strength based on what attributes there are."

            "Cool."

            "Many people like to have more of one attribute in their deck than others. One girl who came here once was called Lumina. She had a deck composed of all Light monsters. She bought one of the Devil's Angel cards."

            "So, should I base my whole deck on one attribute?"

            "I really don't recommend that. Though it is good to have monsters that support each other and monsters that are alike in type in attribute, for the sake of special magic cards helping more of your monsters, limiting yourself to one type might lesson your chances of being able to include cards in your deck that would suit your strategy."

            "I see. So, does that mean Lumina is now at a disadvantage?"

            "Not necessarily. Many duelists do what she is doing. She probably has a strategy that works with the cards she chose. After all, she is a tournament champion. It's not always bad." Serenity nodded. She never knew the world of Duel Monsters was so interesting.

            "I think you're Deck's almost done," Solomon announced. "I did mention it's free right?"

            "Yes."

            "Well, anyway, I think one more high level monster should do the trick. It's good to have a few, but not too many. Remember, you need to sacrifice monsters to bring these onto the field. It's better to have monsters you can summon right away. Now…where is that one card I wanted to give you?"

            "Is this it, Honey?" Solomon's wife asked, holding up a Monster Card.

            "That's it!" Solomon took the card and let Serenity inspect it. "It's called the Dark Magician Girl. It's pretty strong, and has a good effect too. I thought it sort of resembled you, you know?"

            "How?"

            "Well, you know of the Dark Magician, right? Well, the Dark Magician Girl shows that even girls can do whatever men can. That's like you. I know that Prince Seto is a very good duelist, like the Dark Magician is a good magician. But, just like the Dark Magician Girl, you can also duel and show the world."

            "Right!!" Serenity looked triumphantly at her new Deck. She knew she would have to be very careful if she wanted to keep it a secret from her sisters.

            One day, I will show you all. I'll beat Mai, Téa, and the Prince. I'll show the whole world that I can Duel!

………

            "Well, I guess that sums it all up," Mai stated as she came out of the Duel Monsters shop. Téa followed behind her, examining her new cards.

            "These cards rock," Téa exclaimed. "Get it? Earth monsters? Rock? I knew I had the right idea." Mai rolled her eyes as she faced her younger sister.

            "Just because I defeated all your fairies doesn't mean that you had to go and change your monster attribute." Téa scowled.

            "You're just saying that because you don't want me to get powerful cards. I've had it with my nice little fairies, however much I like them. From now on, I'm an Earth duelist."

            "Listen, Téa. Earth monsters aren't necessarily stronger just because they're made of rocks instead of feathers. Remember, twenty pounds of rocks weighs just as much as twenty pounds of feathers. It's just the amount of each that differs, as in, the attack strength."

            "Exactly. Maybe one Earth monster isn't stronger, but how about an army. All my monsters are officially Earth types."

            "Look… it's not a good idea to have all one attribute. You're limiting yourself on the effects of your monsters."

            "If Lumina can do it, so can I."

            "Lumina? Isn't she that Duelist that won the last competition? Everyone's been talking about her these days. She's got all Light monsters. Her dueling is flawless, at least they say."

            "I'd like to defeat her!" Téa clenched her fists tight. "I want to get rid of her title." Mai's eyes widened.

            "I get it now!" she said. "I know another reason why you chose Earth monsters. It's the same reason you have a grudge against Lumina. It's Yami, isn't it?" Téa huffed and crossed her arms.

            "Maybe…"

            "I should have known. He has a lot of Earth monsters in his Deck. And you like him more than Prince Seto."

            "It's not fair, Mai!!" Téa yelled. Some people passing by stopped to stare at her. In a quieter tone, she added, "I have a huge crush on him, and he answers by dating my worst enemy."

            "Lumina is your worst enemy? I doubt you two even met."

            "You know what I mean!" Téa snapped. She was beside herself, which was usually how she acted when it came down to Yami dating Lumina. "She's got Yami, and I've got no one. At least he was my friend until Lumina came along and won that stupid tournament. Then Yami got this sudden idea he liked her. Why couldn't his little brother constrain him?"

            "Yugi? He's busy enough. Don't you know he's won his share of tournaments in neighboring kingdoms? Everyone's saying he's going to be the judge in the Duel Monsters tournament we're going to." Téa's eyes lit up.

            "You know what that means! Yami is most likely going to be there! Oh, Mai! I seriously need to practice some before the tournament! You've got to help me! Come on, let's hurry home!"

………

            "Bye Mr. Motou! Bye Mrs. Motou! I promise I'll do my best for the tournament!" Serenity called. The two elderly citizens waved back as Serenity ran off through the streets.

            "Remember, every day in the evening, stop by my store," Solomon reminded.

            "I'll try!" Serenity promised. She turned and headed back to her house. She had a little more than half and hour to cook lunch. She'd have to brainstorm a way to be able to get away from her sisters every evening. It wasn't going to be easy, but she'd think of something.

            I have to. I need to learn some strategies, or else I'll never be able to defeat Seto.


	7. The Tournament Starts

Disclaimer: For my birthday yesterday, I received the honor to be the owner of Yu-Gi-Oh! so I am. Cool? It would be, if I actually did get it.

CHAPTER 7: The Tournament Starts

            Serenity hummed to herself as she skipped down the way to her house. She shuffled the deck in her hands. She secretly hoped to learn some secrets for shuffling. If she was lucky enough she could learn from Seto himself. After all, she ran into him so many times it was hard to keep track. That was an exaggeration, but she did run into him a lot more than the average teenage girl who was fawning over him, and not all her experiences were good.

            _Actually, none of my experiences were good. I run into him and he purposely misleads me and I get punished by my sisters, and don't forget, he got a glimpse of me in something that was anything but concealing._ Clearly, if Serenity could have erased any moment in history, the part with her clad only in her undergarments was most likely the winner.

            Serenity shook her head and looked for a way to distract herself. She had better get home as soon as possible or else she was in major trouble. Not only did she not cook lunch, but also she was wearing some things that belonged to her sisters. Knowing how they treasured their stuff, it was not a good situation to be in. Looking up to find her way back, she found that she was a bit too late. She caught a glimpse of Téa dragging Mai back to the house. They were close enough to Serenity that they would see any attempt for Serenity to rush ahead. And if she let them go, they would reach the house a few seconds before she did. What Serenity needed was a distraction, and fast!!

            "Why, never thought you'd be here………again," a cold voice said behind her. Serenity whipped around.

            _It's not me that needs distraction, it's my sisters!_ Serenity moaned at the glimpse of Prince Seto. He smirked at the sight of her.

            "I'm glad to see that you're dressed more appropriately, Wheeler," he said. Serenity felt herself blush a violent shade of red.

            "My last name is no longer Wheeler, it's Kaiba. It would be a lot less confusing if you called me Serenity."

            "I see, well, what made you come into the market?" Serenity scowled and turned to look at her sisters. They had momentarily stopped to argue. _Good, but I need to get out and fast!_

            "Would you mind doing me a favor?" Serenity asked. "Can you distract my sisters, please?" Seto chuckled.

            "And why would I want to help you, Wheeler?"

            "Because……… you have a kind heart?" Serenity was clearly putting words into sentences without any thought. After all, in the prospect of Kaiba, _kind heart_ was not an efficient way to describe anything.

            "Since when?" Kaiba replied. Serenity bit her lip. Her sisters were still arguing, and that was good, but how much longer would it last.

            "Since now. Please?" Seto pretended to sigh as if giving up.

            "Sure, whatever. But only because it's you and not some other girl."

            "Oh, I feel so special." Serenity made sure to use a sarcastic voice. Seto turned around with a smirk.

            "You ought to," he said. "I don't usually develop a liking to many girls." Serenity almost dropped her deck. She forgot it was in her hand. _Is Seto joking, or is he sincere? He sounds sincere, and since it's such a contrast to his usual self, it could be true. But then, I've got to notice the smirk. _

Seto turned around and began to walk up to Téa and Mai. Serenity couldn't help but smile. Later on, she'd be sure to tell them that she was the one who sent him to them. After all, they probably couldn't wait until the moment they would actually get to meet the prince, and that moment was going to come very soon.

………

            "I told you, Mai!" Téa almost yelled. "I need to practice." She was in the process of dragging Mai home when suddenly Mai stopped.

            "I suddenly got a great idea!" Mai protested. "Since you're going to use all Earth monsters, I want to use all Wind."

            "Oh Mai, you're contradicting yourself. At first you're saying that it's bad to use all one type, and now you're saying you want to?"

            "You're doing it, why can't I?"

            "Sure, go blame it on me! I don't care. Either way, I'll still win the tournament and marry Seto, and you'll be sorry."

            "The prince would never like you. As soon as he sets eyes on me, he'll be head over heals for me."

            "Get with it, Mai! Prince Seto will love me best!"

            "Will not!"

            "Will too!"

            "Will not!"

            "Will too!"

            "Will not!"

            "Will too!"

            "Will not!"

            "Will too!"

            "Will not!"

            "Will too!"

            "Will not!"

            "Will too!"

            "Will not!"

            "Will too!"

            "Will not!"

            "Will too!"

            "Excuse me, may I help you?" Téa and Mai turned toward the speaker. After a few seconds of silence between the three of them, Téa and Mai screamed silently. Standing before them was the very man they ever wanted to meet so badly.

            "S-S-S-S-S-S-Seto!" Téa gushed in a very girly voice. Seto fought the urge to roll his eyes.

            "You make a very good snake," he remarked cruelly. Obviously, Téa was too bedazzled by his sight to make sense of what he was saying.

            "Thank you!" Téa cried.

            "My name's Mai!" Mai stepped in front of Téa and gave a flip of her long blonde hair.

            "I know," Seto replied. "You're Mai and Téa Kaiba, daughters of Gozaburo Kaiba, leader of the Kaiba Corporation that makes technology for dueling when we are still going around by carriage." Téa and Mai stared at him.

            "Y-y-y-y-y-you know us?" Téa stammered.

            "Of course, why wouldn't I know such beautiful ladies as yourself when you're as famous as I am?" Téa and Mai nearly fainted. They wished this moment would never end. Meanwhile, Seto hoped that Serenity had enough time to go home and do whatever she needed to. It was starting to become a bit annoying for his job.

………

            Serenity raced home as fast as she could. She didn't know what she was going to make for lunch. She wasn't the greatest at making meals anyway. She saw Téa and Mai totally engulfed with Seto as she slipped past them. They never noticed her. With a sigh of relief, she ran all the way home to her house. She quickly changed into an ordinary brown dress and tied her hair up in a messy ponytail. If she were lucky, her sisters wouldn't notice her fresh appearance.

            Serenity had just gathered all her ingredients and turned on the stove when her sisters walked in. She had decided to make spaghetti and was interrupted by the bell just when she found the tomato sauce.

            _Great. I'm going to have to have some explaining to do. I just found one meal I can make with the stuff we had at home, and now I won't even be able to make it._ Serenity sighed as she went to open the door. When she did, she let out a gasp. Mai and Téa stood there beaming. Behind them Seto stood with a very annoyed expression, especially for Serenity and no one else.

            "Seren, look who led us home?" Téa gushed. Serenity fought the urge to laugh at the prince's sour expression.

            "Hello, your Highness," Serenity greeted respectfully. Seto smirked. He knew she wouldn't address him so formally if her sisters weren't there.

            "Well," Seto cleared his throat, "now that you guys are safely back home, I'll be going now. Bye girls."

            "I wish you could stay," Téa insisted.

            "After all, it would be awfully rude to go right now," Mai agreed. Seto searched his brain for an excuse.

            "Well, you see, I can't stay right now. I'm sure you girls would be wonderful company, but I've had………you see, I do not get along quite so well with your little sister." Téa and Mai rounded on Serenity.

            "How dare you!" Téa cried. "Of all the nerve! You dare to not get along with his Highness, the prince. You bring disgrace upon our name."

            _HOW DARE SETO SAY THAT! _Serenity was having a mental explosion. _Now my sisters will kill me. All right, Seto, you wanna do that? I can do whatever you can._ Serenity pretended to be guilty.

            "I am so sorry, sisters. I did not mean to dishonor our family," she lied. "I, just as you two, was hoping the prince could stay so that I can apologize to him. I hope he will stay and at least join in lunch." Téa and Mai turned back to Seto.

            "Yes!" Mai exclaimed. "You must stay for lunch! It would be such an honor!" Seto glared back at Serenity.

            "I am afraid I'm not too hungry. I wouldn't want for the food to grow cold. Then, you wouldn't be able to eat it." Téa and Mai looked downcast, but Serenity just smirked.

            "Oh really. Well, this is your lucky day, your Highness. It just so happens that I wasn't able to decide what to make. Therefore, lunch is not ready yet. If you will stay, lunch can be made whenever you want it to be." Téa and Mai perked up again.

            "Oh yes!" Seto tried to make up his mind on another excuse. He had plenty, but none were suited for this particular situation. He hated to admit it, but the Prince Seto, the one who was said to be an excellent strategist and smart, now had to admit defeat at the hands of Serenity. If he refused the offer, it would have been very rude. He'd have to face his parents' lecture on Royal Etiquette. If he did accept, he would be stuck with the two brats for at least two hours, but that was way better than a lecture.

            "Alright, I'll stay, but only for a short while."

            "Good," Serenity said. Clapping her hands together, she went off to the kitchen to prepare lunch, leaving an ecstatic Mai and Téa alone with a grumpy Prince Seto.

………

            The days went by so quickly it was hard to imagine. Serenity managed to sneak out of the house in the evening every day to go to the game shop for her lessons. It wasn't so hard to sneak off for about an hour, since her sisters started to check up on her less and less. She just had to say she was cleaning the third floor and sneak off through a window. Her sisters wouldn't notice unless she was gone the whole night. The crash course she received from Mr. Solomon Motou was enough to get her through the basics and a few strategies. That, plus watching her sisters every now and then, gave her enough practice. The only thing was, she had never had a real duel herself.

Soon, it was finally the evening of the ball! At around five, Serenity was forced to help her sisters ready themselves.

            "Oh my gosh!" Téa gushed. "I hope the prince likes my new outfit." Téa spun around and did an over-dramatic curtsey. She had on a dark red silk gown that was long enough to sweep the floor. Multicolored flowers were embroidered around the low neckline and hem. The bodice had white stones sewn in, bordering diagonal ruffles. The skirt was layered with golden netting, the same used for the sleeves that reached her fingertips. It did look pretty. Her hair was put up in a small bun, a few small strands framing her face.

            "Pretty, but not beautiful like mine," Mai bragged, admiring herself in the mirror. She had on a lavender gown. The style was the exact same as her sisters, except she had blued stones and silver netting. Her hair was set in the same wavy style she liked best, but it shimmered with purple, blue, and silver glitter. "Don't you think, Cinder?"

            "Yeah, both of you look pretty," she said rather flatly. It was not a lie, by any means, but it wasn't the whole truth either. Sure they were pretty, but compared to the other girls that lived down the street they'd be as pretty as a cow compared to a peacock.

            "I just wish I had Aquaria's eyes though," Mai said wishfully. "You know that girl I used to practice my duel with? She has like such pretty blue eyes. I've always liked that color in eye shades."

            "The prince has blue eyes," Serenity remarked. Obviously her sisters had already thought about that because the expression on their faces easily told that they were daydreaming for the thousandth time. Serenity rolled her eyes and finished tying the golden sash to Téa's outfit.

            "I want Flarina's hair," Téa said. "It's long and bright red." Mai sighed.

            "It's too catchy. I wouldn't want red hair. It clashes horribly with purple or blue. Well, maybe not blue."

            "Anyways," Téa interrupted. She finished applying some lipstick, the final part of her makeup. "I hope we get to duel the prince."

            "I know! He's soooooooo cute………………………" Serenity droned out the rest of the conversation and focused on cleaning up the counter. She would have to find a way to somehow get to the ball. She didn't think her sisters would let her, and she certainly didn't have any plan, at least not logical.

            _Come on Serenity, think!! No fairy is going to pop out of somewhere and give you a dragon to ride to the castle. Come on, think! _

"You know," Mai said, revisiting the mirror as Serenity finished combing her hair out. "I would have had a fan that would have matched perfectly with this outfit, _if someone hadn't lost all the packages._" Serenity rolled her eyes as she put away the brush.

            "With a duel disk in one hand and cards in the other, I doubt you'll be able to hold it up," Serenity retorted. Surprisingly enough, Mai nodded.

            "True," she agreed. "Very true, but that's still not an excuse." Mai went over to the window and looked out.

            "The carriages are here!" she announced. "Hurry, we don't want to be late." Téa looked at herself one last time before hurrying after Mai.

            "Get some cleaning done!" Téa reminded as she stepped out, closing the door behind her. After all the talking those two did, Serenity felt the house seemed very empty without them. With a sigh, she sat down on a small seat next to the fireplace. She was out of ideas. Serenity glanced at the cool cinders in the grate. It would take a miracle to get to the ball now.

………

            Unfortunately for Mai and Téa, the carriage ride to the castle was neither comfortable nor fast. The horse refused to take more than a few steps per minute. A few times when it did manage to spring a few galloping strides, the road was so bumpy that Mai and Téa bounced all the way.

            At exactly half past six, they reached the castle. Mai glared at the carriage driver before finally catching up to her sister. They skipped up the steps as fast as they could. Hopefully, they hadn't missed anything. Mai gritted her teeth. _We **better** not have missed anything!_ She was interrupted from her thoughts when Téa pulled on her sleeve and pointed to the top of the stairs. Mai looked up and gasped. The prince was standing at the top, as if waiting for them.

            "I knew I saw someone coming at the last minute," he muttered with a smirk. The two girls reached the top and curtseyed.

            "Sorry, are we late?" Téa asked anxiously.

            "No," Seto stated. "But by no means are you early. What took you so long? And where's Serenity?"

            "You didn't really expect a servant girl to come to the ball, did you your Highness?" Mai inquired. Seto shook his head with another of his trademark smirks.

            "I didn't expect her to. I would have thought you foolish if you had brought her. Anyway, hurry. The tournament starts soon." He eyed both of the sisters one last time. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw another girl walk – or rather, run – up the stairs. He turned to look at her and Mai and Téa followed his gaze. The girl that had caught their attention was in a pretty pink gown with layers and layers of frills. It had a black veil that covered her whole face and even her hair. For a moment, the figure turned and caught their gaze. Time seemed to stop. Finally, the figure, aware of what she was doing, quickly bounded up the stairs and disappeared from sight.

            _Weird,_ Seto thought. _Why do I have the feeling I know her?_


	8. Fairy Goddess Magician

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did, I'd be rich enough to buy my own laptop and then my parents won't object to me getting AIM cause it would be my computer.

CHAPTER 8: Fairy Goddess Magician

            Serenity was still staring at the fireplace when the clock struck six. She was bored and depressed that she couldn't go to the ball. It wasn't that she wanted to go to marry Seto like all the other girls. She just wanted to test her skills at Dueling.

            "I'm not good at it anyway," she thought out loud. It didn't really matter if it was audible because her house was empty. "I've never actually officially dueled. Sure, Mr. Motou let me duel him, but he was using strategies that were simpler so I could learn. I have never gone against a duelist with a lot of power." Serenity leaned back in her chair and sighed.

            "Roses are red, violets are blue," she chanted out of boredom, "my sisters are at the ball and I want to be there too!!"

            "You do?" Serenity gasped and quickly got up, turning to face the source of the sound. It was definitely not her own or the one in her head. The foyer behind her was as bare as a deserted ghost town.

            "Who was that?" Serenity said, her voice a bit shaky. She got no response. Maybe if I say that rhyme again.

            "Roses are red, violets are blue, my sisters are at the ball, and I want to be there too!"

            "I heard that the first time." Serenity snapped her attention to her dueling deck.

            "Who are you??" Serenity asked. Just like the last time, she got no response. "Hello??? Roses are red, violets are blue, and I'm kind of frustrated, so answer who are you."

            "Okay, Miss Impatient, but first get like all of these cards off of me. These Wobaku men are really getting on my nerves." Serenity narrowed her eyes, confused, as she went to her deck to look for the card that supposedly had spoken.

            "Which one are you???" Serenity cried impatiently, flipping through the deck. She came across a card that was face down and flipped it over.

            Wobaku? The voice mentioned that. Serenity glanced at the card behind it and found the Dark Magician Girl. Just as she touched it, there was a bright flash and Serenity found herself sprawled back on the ground. As the white light slowly faded, a young blonde girl in a blue and pink costume appeared. She twirled her matching staff and winked.

            "Thanks-a-bunches," she said. "When you're pretty, guys really want to get to know you. Next time, I call the top of your deck, thank you very much." Serenity glanced warily at the young girl in front of her.

            "Who are you??" The girl chuckled.

            "I'm the Dark Magician Girl, or DMG. I'm you're supposed fairy godmother, but I'd rather be called Fairy Goddess Magician. After all, I am female and I am a magician, not a mother. Then, that would be FGM, but it doesn't have quite the ring of DMG. Oh whatever just call me DMG, got that???" Serenity scrunched her eyes, but eventually nodded.

            "Good, then down to business! I heard you're little wish there and I want to help you." DMG tapped her staff on the ground and it shortened into a little swirl pin, which she fastened on her dress. Then crossing her arms, she waited for Serenity's response.

            "Wish?" Serenity asked. "I didn't wish. I just said…"

            "Wish or rhyme? What's the difference? The point is, I want to help you. Now tell me how we can get started and we will." Serenity looked around.

            "Um…I don't know. What do you want to do?" DMG sighed and walked over to Serenity.

            "You're as tall as me," DMG remarked, "but you have half my creativity! I want you think of something bizarre that you want to happen and I'll make it happen."

            "Make the apple float???" Serenity offered, pointing to the fruit bowl. DMG rolled her eyes and sighed.

            "Can we please stick to things that apply to getting to the ball? For a person my height, you're surely not as smart."

            "What is thing about height, anyway??" DMG scowled.

            "Dark Magician started it. He's a head taller than me and therefore he thinks he's smarter! No!!! I will show him!!! I swear I will be his height one day!!!" Serenity sweat dropped.

            "Hey! Short people are smart too! What about Mr. Motou? Or his grandson Yugi I have heard so much about?" Or Seto…wait, he doesn't support my point.

            "You're right, he doesn't," DMG said. Serenity gaped at her.

            "You can sense my thoughts?"

            "No duh!! And I can tell what's on your mind and I know what you want and I'm going to get it for you!"

            "This is crazy! I must be delirious! I'm talking to my Duel Monster Card and she can read my mind!"

            "Yeah. The good thing about that is that if you have a sore throat, you can just think what you'll say to me. Now, to business." DMG glanced around the room and tried to find something.

            "What are you doing?" Serenity asked after a few minutes of silence.

            "I'm thinking of what to do." Suddenly she clasped her hands together. "Oh! I just got the best idea ever! Man, this is going to be so sweet!!!"

            "What?" DMG gave Serenity a wide grin. Serenity scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. DMG suddenly sprang forth onto the deck. Taking it into her hand, she shuffled it a few times. Then, she turned it over to reveal the Monster, Trap, and Magic cards.

            "Those aren't mine!" Serenity gasped.

            "Exactly, these are a few random cards taken from all the Duelists in your life," DMG informed. She picked out a card from the deck.

            "Pumking, the King of Ghosts. Mr. Motou used this to teach you the eerie effects of Zombie Monsters, didn't he?" Serenity nodded and gulped, remembering the lesson in which she had come across the brutality of those Monsters. Ever since the first one was played, even though they were cards, Serenity felt a fear grow inside her. Mr. Motou explained that it was the heart of the cards that were making her emotions.

            "Yes," Serenity finally replied. "I remember. But, he gave me a great strategy to beat them too." DMG motioned for Serenity to follow her as the two of them went outside into the lane. The female Duel Monster pulled out her staff and tapped the card three times.

            "The Legendary King, so brave and bold, come forth to a carriage, sparkling gold!" Her spell sent a rush of silver sparks pouring out from the card into the form of a giant pumpkin, sporting a face with an evil grin. Serenity stepped behind the Dark Magician Girl, who just glanced at the Zombie Monster with an acid glare.

            "YO!!" she yelled. The King of Ghosts eyed her. "Hey, Mister, what happened to the carriage of sparkling gold?"

            "Hey, Girlie, wazzup??"

            "The carriage of sparkling gold?"

            "Oh, um… I'm too lazy."

            "You will be a sparkling gold carriage!!"

            "What about the carriage of sparkling gold?"

            "Are you trying to be stupid on purpose? THEY'RE THE SAME THING, PEA BRAIN!"

            "Pumpkin brain, actually." Serenity chuckled at the funny exchange between the two Duel Monsters. The Pumking was looking calmly down at DMG, which she was glaring up at him with utmost fury, paused slightly for an annoyed roll of her eyes. "But, words arranged in different ways can mean the same thing?"

            "No duh!"

            "Sweet!"

            "Totally…uh, I mean… sparkling gold carriage?" The King of Ghosts sighed, but he quickly changed into a gold carriage, opening his mouth wide enough to reveal his teeth as cushions for a chair. His tongue rolled out to be a carpet and wheels formed out of the leaves on the vine.

            "Good, now, for horses." DMG closed her eyes and pulled out a random card. For some reason, three others followed it. Turning them over, she smiled.

            "What?" Serenity asked suspiciously.

            "Do you have a crush on anyone?" DMG asked slyly. Serenity felt her face grow pink.

            "Why?" she replied carefully. DMG tapped her staff twice on each card and hummed a weird tune. In an instant of swirling blue mist, four Blue-Eyes appeared out of thin air. Each was three times as tall as Serenity.

            "Cause only a deep infatuation with Kaiba would make him important enough in your life to get four of his most treasured card." The Blue-Eyes snarled down at DMG.

            "Deep infatuation? Excuse me?" Serenity demanded. "I don't think I heard you correctly."

            "Oh you did," DMG replied with a grin. The Blue-Eyes growled and let out blasts of White Lightning. DMG jumped. "Okay, I do not think they are tame…" DMG searched through the deck and came across a card. She tossed it in the air and hit it with her staff. It glowed a bright blue and a warrior with blue and yellow armor appeared.

            "How may I be of service?" he asked, bowing to DMG. She slightly flushed and patted her hair down.

            "Oh! I feel like a princess!!! Errrrrrrrrrr… um, Mr. Dragon Master Knight, can you please make the dragons obey me?"

            "Certainly, Miss, but I might need a whip or a bridle of some sort." DMG thought to herself for a second.

            Hmmm, Serenity thought, where have I seen that monster? I know the Pumking is from Mr. Motou, the Blue-Eyes from Kaiba, and DMG from myself. Oh, I got it! Yami has that card. Téa has been talking about him an awful lot for me not to know him.

            "I got it!" Serenity jerked out of her thoughts at DMG's sudden exclaim. She searched through the deck for a card. Finding it, she tapped it with her staff. Rose petals flew everywhere and a Rose Whip appeared in Dragon Master Knight's hand.

            "You know," DMK said. "This might not be long enough."

            "Is there any other way you can calm the Dragons? Please……… OH NO!! NO BAD DRAGONS! BAD DRAGONS!!! STOP EATING THE TREE!!! NO, BAD DRAGONS!!!" DMG screeched, rushing to stop the four vicious animals from wrecking the neighborhood. The Knight sighed and looked at the deck.

            "I got an idea!" Serenity exclaimed. "How about the Flute of Summoning Dragon? I mean, if it can summon them, it can probably calm them down." The Knight thought for a moment and shrugged. Serenity went over and searched the deck. She got out card.

            "Lord of Dragons," she said. Immediately, the card activated and the Lord of Dragons appeared, brandishing his cape.

            "Hello, peoples!" he announced with a grin. "How are you today?"

            "Listen, do you have the Flute of Summoning Dragon?" The Dragon Master Knight asked. The Lord of Dragons thought for a moment.

            "The Flute???" The Lord of Dragons searched his pockets. "I know I have it somewhere." He frantically patted his clothes. "Damn it! Did I lose it? Great, Dark Sage told me that was the last I could have. Ah………" The Duel Monster pulled it out of a secret pocket in his cloak. "I knew I had it somewhere."

            "Well…blow it!" Serenity instructed. The Lord blew into the golden horn. At the melodious tune, all four Dragons immediately stopped what they were doing and rushed over. They stood in a straight line, side by side, in front of the Lord with their heads held high.

            "Talk about a chill pill," DMG remarked with a chuckle. "Now all we need are the reigns." The Pumking solved this one, his vines wrapping around the Dragons and then hardening.

            "There!!" Serenity exclaimed. DMG came over and grinned at Serenity.

            "Okay, now I'm sure any infatuation you have on Kaiba has really, really, gone as much as it can, if you got two more of his cards."

            "What do you mean? I've only seen him a few times."

            "Ever heard of love at first sight?"

            "NO WAY!!! I don't have an infatuation, crush, love interest, or any damn thing on him."

            "Dang………" Lord of Dragons trailed off.

            "Okay, Serenity," DMG said, holding her laughter, "that line is going to stick in my head forever."

            "Good," Serenity muttered. "Then maybe you might understand."

            "Anyways," DMG said. "You two may run a long now…" The Lord and the Knight bowed and disappeared. "And we shall work on footmen."

            "Who would you suggest for that?" Serenity inquired.

            "Two men that are already in my mind, and they both have a deep crush on you. You know them, you've seen them. Both of them are your sisters' friends." DMG pulled out two cards from her hands.

            "Cyber Commander, Orgoth the Relentless!!!" In a flash, a brown haired boy appeared along with a black haired one with armor.

            "Where are we?"

            "Weren't we going to sneak into the castle and watch the Tournament?" Confused, the two of them looked over at Serenity and DMG.

            "Tristan? Duke?" Serenity asked.

            "Look!" Tristan cried. "It's Serenity!"

            "I get it now," Duke said. "We must have dozed off and this is a dream."

            "Makes sense." Serenity sighed.

            "Yes, it is a dream," DMG informed, winking at Serenity. "And in this dream, you get to be the two handsome footmen to Princess Serenity!"

            "I'm not a princess," Serenity protested.

            "You'll be one when you marry Seto."

            "I'm not going to marry him."

            "Yeah, I'll record that line and play it back to you on your engagement."

            "ARGH!"

            "Anyway, now we're all done… except for your dress."

            "Right, what do you suppose we'll use for that??" DMG thought for a moment. Serenity also thought. The both of them were silent for a couple of minutes. The Dragons - now tame - the coach, and the footmen looked on with suspense. Finally, DMG snapped her fingers.

            "That's it!" she cried. "Close you're eyes Serenity!" Serenity obeyed, though reluctantly. She didn't know what to expect. She could hear DMG chanting something in a different language. Suddenly, the air around Serenity moved and she felt tiny pricks all over her body. After everything settled, she finally opened her eyes.

            "NO WAY!!" Serenity looked down at her dress. It was a pretty pink gown with layers over layers of frills. Pink pearls were sewn in paisley pattern all over the bodice. The whole gown itself was made of silk, except the sleeves that went passed her hands and was made of sheer fabric. On her head was a black veil that could be pulled over her face. On one hand, she sported a black glove with six slots for some round objects.

            "What's this?" Serenity queried.

            "The glove? Oh, you'll figure out soon enough," DMG said. "Now, off you go!!" With a smile, Duke and Tristan helped Serenity into the Pumking's mouth. To her surprise, Serenity found that the teeth were quite comfortable. Tristan sat in the front and took hold of the reigns while Duke stood in the back. The Dragons stretched their wings to begin flight. DMG gave Serenity her real deck and then stepped back for the carriage's liftoff.

            "Oh!!!" DMG suddenly gasped. "One more thing. It's about twenty-five past six right now. You need to be back home by twelve!" Tristan shook the reigns and the Dragons took flight. Serenity leaned out of her seat.

            "Why??" she yelled back. DMG just drew the number twelve out of gold dust and disappeared. Serenity was a bit confused as she leaned back and closed her eyes. The Dragons flew with great speed toward the castle.

………

            At a little after half past six, Serenity reached the castle. She took a few seconds to adjust the veil over her face and hair. It reached all the way down to her hips. I must look like an Arabian princess or something. As soon as she figured out everything was okay, she hurried to the castle.

            From where she saw, the castle had at least a hundred steps. At the top, a man was talking to two girls. Serenity hurried up the steps as fast as she possibly could. As she got closer, she recognized the figures.

            "OH!!" she thought, though it came out in a whisper. "Mai, Téa, Seto!" Serenity quickened her pace to avoid them. Just her luck… as she reached the final part of the stairs, Seto turned to stare at her. Her sisters followed suit. Serenity felt the urge to stop and she did. She turned and glanced at them. She knew the veil was dark enough so they couldn't recognize her, but still Seto's glance seemed to penetrate everything she had on. With a shudder, Serenity quickly raced up the final steps and into the castle. She could still feel their eyes on her back.

            I wonder if Seto knows who I really am!


	9. Round One Fire

Disclaimer: Hello. My name is Disclaimer and my only job is to stand here every waking minute in case someone thinks I own something that I do not and tell him or her that I do not own it.

CHAPTER 9: Round One [Fire]

"Okay, everyone, settle down!" Prince Seto announced as he looked over the amazing crowd of teenage girls in the grand ballroom. The whole place had been decorated for the event. Flowers lazily hung about pillars and the floor was painted with pictures of Dragons. The girls in the ballroom squealed silently when they saw Seto, and then quieted down as he cleared his throat.

"Now, before we get started in the next twenty minutes, I want to quickly explain some rules." Seto looked around as if he expected everyone to shudder at the word. "To begin with, I have assured that there are exactly 127 maidens here. Now, with myself, that would come to a grand total of 128. There will be - at the most - seven rounds in this Tournament. Every round, half the participants will be retired to be an audience. At the end, there will be two people, which one of them will be me. The program will go according to that, unless by some twist of fate, one of you manages to defeat me in the earlier rounds. Then… you are the automatic victor of the tournament." Seto looked around again at the girls as they whispered amongst themselves excitedly.

"Obviously, you Duelists already know that the victor wins my hand in marriage." Everyone nodded in response. Téa and Mai, among the Duelists there, nodded to each other with a grin. Serenity just smirked to herself. She had no interest in winning his heart or marriage with him. She wanted to win the satisfaction of out dueling him.

"Now, in each round, upon conquering it, you will receive a special stone. Each round except the last has its own color stone. Shortly, you will receive both a glove and a Duel Disk. Those will be yours to keep." Seto paused briefly as another murmur rose among the girls. "Who will be dueling this first round will be announced in a moment by Yugi Motou, the Announcer, who will also help compromise any problems that arise. Now, you all may go and get your Disks and Gloves." The girls all rushed to the back of the ballroom immediately. In ten minutes, everyone had gotten his or her equipment. Serenity was one of the last to get hers. A woman was waiting for her.

"Okay, this Duel Disk and Glove is for you," she said, handing it to Serenity. Serenity gave the glove back. She revealed her own, the one that DMG had given her.

"That's strange!" the woman remarked. "But still……… Well, I will need to know your name." Serenity blanched. She couldn't give her real name, and she couldn't use her real voice. She pondered what to do.

"Excuse me, Miss, your name?" Serenity snapped to attention.

"Shi - Shi - Shizuka! Shizuka Jounouchi," she replied, using the heaviest British accent she could muster. The woman gave her a sideways glance before nodding.

"Well, Miss Jounouchi, you are going to face the last person who came to get a Disk. Since we made the matches as the Duelists come, I hope that all the people invited are here. There was no time to check. Well, I did manage to get all 128. You will be facing Flarina Pyrotech." Serenity sighed, not being able to face Seto at first. The longer she was delayed, the less the chance was of even making it the round to face him.

Oh well, at least the first round hasn't filtered out the easy Duelists. I'm sure to survive this one at least. Wait… the name Flarina is familiar. Oh, right. Téa was the one who commented on her hair.

After five minutes, after the pairings had been announced, everyone was positioned to Duel. Each pair faced each other in one section of the ballroom. So far, only a few lingering boys were the audience. It was already crowded enough anyway. Serenity faced her opponent. It was a girl about her age, with fiery red hair and deep brown eyes. She had a matching brown gown with sheer frills. The sleeves totally covered her Deck as she shuffled it. Serenity took out her own deck and shuffled. Flarina slid her Deck into the card recognizer and looked up with a smirk.

"Well, well," she said in a slow tone. "What do we have here? Mysterious Princess, is it? Are you the Shizuka I am to face?" Serenity nodded. She decided to use as little of her voice as possible. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Seto was to be Dueling diagonal from her. Across from him was his blonde-haired opponent, who was laughing vivaciously at something Seto said that had been meant to be threatening. In his mind, this proved how overly happy girls could be. For Serenity, she almost laughed at someone else laughing at his threats. Seto looked up from his shuffling and eyed Serenity. With a silent gasp, she whipped around to face her own opponent.

"Now, let us begin," Flarina declared. At that moment, the clock struck seven. Yugi announced the start of the Tournament. Serenity noticed her Duel Disk's Life Points went up to 3000. She looked back up at Flarina.

"Let's Duel!!"

………

"Come on, man, hurry!" a brown-haired boy called to Joey Wheeler. The two students of Domino Academy had snuck out to watch the Tournament.

"Doya' think my sis' is in 'der?" Joey queried.

"Sure! Don't you trust your pal, Joseph?"

"Stop callin' me Joseph!"

"Anyway, if every young maiden was invited, then Serenity is bound to be in there. Talking about Serenity, why won't you let me date her?" If Joey weren't army crawling under the windows of the castle, trying not to be heard by the guards, he surely would have killed his friend.

"Listen, Ian. Tristan an' Duke are already askin' me fo' 'dat! Thee answa' is NO! Hands off ov' ma' sis!"

"Oh fine. Hey, look, I think I see someone!!!"

"Duck!"

………

Serenity looked down at her hand. It was Flarina's first move, but Mr. Motou had taught her to always start forming a strategy. Then, you can flex it as you go. Serenity had a plan up her sleeve, but she needed to know what kind of monster Flarina was going to play. From the grin on her face, it wasn't going to be a small threat.

"I play Enchantress from the Flames!" {} Serenity narrowed her eyes as a red haired, red appareled fairy flew up from a flower of flames. With a small chuckle, she sat down on the blossom and casually flipped her hair.

"It has an affect," Serenity stated simply, in her British accent of course. Flarina nodded.

"Yep, the Enchantress takes away 500 of your Life Points for every turn, including mine. It starts after your first turn of the game. So, you can go now." Serenity nodded and pulled out a card. She tried to act as calm as possible, as if to become Shizuka. In her mind, Shizuka was a calm, shy Duelist. Inside, though, Serenity was freaking out. It was her first ever real duel, and she had never thought she would be in danger so fast.

Serenity inhaled and exhaled deeply as she looked at the card she drew. It was a normal magic card, Drawing Energy. At the moment, she had no use for it. She slid it behind the other five cards and thought deeply. So far, she had been developing a theory of trying to use Flarina's attacks toward her as a weapon with high defense monsters. That strategy might work, but the gradual decrease of Serenity's LP might not give enough time. Still, she had no other choice.

"I place one card in defense mode," Serenity announced, in her fake accent. The card glowed on the field and appeared as a card. Flarina smirked as Serenity ended her turn. She watched on her own Duel Disk as her LP went from 3000 to 2500. I have a plan. So far, I've 2500. But if Flarina falls into my trap, I'll still have close to hers.

"Any ideas on how to get rid of this mess? My monster has an attack of 1600. There are not too many low level monsters that can beat it. Now, I have something else planned for you." Serenity tried to tell herself not to freak out. Flarina drew a card and slipped it into her hand. Then, she took another card and placed it on the field.

"Girl of Fire Woods! Attack that nasty Defense monster!" Serenity watched as a small girl in a red dress rose up from the card. She flew into the air and threw down a shower of fireballs. Serenity smirked.

"Thanks, you have just helped me." Serenity pushed a button on the Duel Disk and the card she had was revealed. "Mistletoe Mistress. She has a defense of 2100. This means, due to your monster's low attack power, you lose nine hundred Life Points!" Serenity watched as Flarina frowned down at her Duel Disk, which now displayed 2100 Points. But, she looked up with a smile. Serenity raised her eyebrows, though no one could see it. Her Mistletoe Mistress was crouching on the floor, holly all over her hair.

"Still, my monster isn't destroyed. I have two while you have one. I think you are still outnumbered." Flarina motioned for Serenity to draw. She did, and looked down at her Duel Disk to see five hundred points go away. To her amazement, she went down a thousand.

"Hey! No fair!!!" she exclaimed, forgetting her accent. She bit her tongue and kept going with her fake accent. "I don't get this. I'm only supposed to lose five hundred." Serenity mentally shuddered as Flarina laughed.

"Oh? Didn't you know that Girl of Fire Woods also has the same effect?" Flarina replied innocently. Serenity growled as she looked down at her Duel Disk, which had 1500 LP left. She was already half way to the bottom. She turned to look over at Seto dueling. She could see him grinning maliciously as his partner trembled in fear at the sight of his Mystical Genie. With a sigh, she turned back. She couldn't give up. She had to face Seto. She had to!

"Fine!" she muttered. She looked down at the card she drew. It was Magic Shield. This will buy me some time, but only some. Since it is a trap, I can only use it after her turn. Still, I'll be able to retain at least… five hundred LP. Great, this is just great! I'll never win - No! I mustn't say that. I must always believe in the heart of the cards!

………

"I saw you guys!" Joey and Ian groaned as a blonde haired girl towered over them. She looked to be the perky type, with a short pink outfit and a matching staff to her helmet. She crossed her arms. The two boys sighed as they got up. To their surprise, she was actually a head shorter than them.

"Hm! Men!" she scoffed in a high, perky voice. "You two are idiots, and you're taller than me." The two boys looked at each other.

"Wha' does height hafta' do wit' anythin'?" Joey asked. "Ma' sis' is short but she still migh' be smarta'!" The girl, DMG, shook her head.

"No duh! Girls are WAY smarter than men. So, who's your sister anyway?" DMG meant it in a casual, simple way. She looked around with boredom. Joey's reply nearly made her trip standing still.

"Her name's Serenity."

"WHAT?" DMG mentally cried. Then Ian spoke up.

"The two of us are trying to sneak in there to find out if she's dueling. If she is, then the two of us are going to support her!" DMG bit her lip and started to get pale.

"Oh………don't you know?? S-S-Seren-Serenity is at home! Yeah, at home! She, err, she, um, she… she… um…" DMG searched her brain for an excuse. While she tried to think of a reasonable lie, Joey glanced into the ballroom.

"LOOK!" he cried. "MAI!! TÉA!!" Ian and Joey suddenly rushed in, leaving DMG shocked.

"Wait! Come back!"

………

"I play two cards face down!" Serenity declared in her fake accent. She set down Magic Shield and her previously drawn Double Trouble on the field. She nodded for her opponent to begin her turn. Serenity made a quick check on her Duel Disk: 500 LP.

"Well, well. Let me see. You know that if everything was left alone, you will lose at the end of my turn. I believe you are planning something with those two cards. I think then, I shall play Flame Warrior in attack mode and end my turn." A red-haired warrior man rose up from the card and grasped his sword of flame. "It has the same effect as my other two monsters. I end my turn."

"I activate… Magic Shield!! It will block me from whatever damage is due toward my LP. That means, I still have my turn left until my Life Points reach zero!" Serenity looked triumphant. Flarina just sighed.

"You know you're going to lose anyway. Just give up and spare yourself the embarrassment of losing."

"NO WAY!!" Serenity placed her fingers ready to draw the next card. Many thoughts were running through her head.

_This is it! This is my last turn. After this, it's either win or lose. This last card decides it all. Right now, my monster's attack power equals that of two of her monsters. The last is too high. If I draw my most powerful card, Dark Magician Girl, then I will have eight hundred more attack points. I have Double Trouble on the field to use, but it still won't be enough! Oh no! What am I going to do? I do not think there's any card that is just perfect for this. Wait, I still have to believe!!_

"Come on, draw! Stop stalling!" Serenity squeezed her eyes shut and dramatically pulled out her last card. After all, if it were to be her last ever, it wouldn't be forgotten. Serenity nervously opened one eye and peeked out. Suddenly, every bad feeling inside her vanished.

"ALRIGHT!!!" Serenity exclaimed, slapping her card onto the Disk as it appeared onto the field. She didn't even care that she forgot her accent, though she made a mental note to use it. "I drew Drawing Energy!"

"What?" Flarina gasped with shock.

"That's right! Drawing Energy! This card takes 500 LP from you for every monster you have and transfers it to me." Flarina gasped as her LP went down to 600, and Serenity's went up to 2000. Flarina scowled.

"Still, I won't let you win!"

"Ha!" Serenity said, pushing a button on her Disk. "I activate Double Trouble. This takes the amount of damage I have done to your LP and doubles it."

"But…but…you…y-y-you…"

"That's right Flarina! You lose!!" Flarina dropped the cards in her hand.

"No!" she cried. "This is only the first round! I can't lose already!!!" Serenity smirked, though no one saw, and the cards on the field disappeared. Serenity looked over at Seto, who was still in a duel. She could definitely tell it was going to end very soon. His partner was really trying hard not to cry, by the looks of it. Everyone who ever faced him lost anyway. Well, Serenity was going to change that.

A small click brought Serenity's attention to her Disk. A small red stone appeared in a small slot on the side. She picked it out.

_I won my first duel! Cool! Now, there's only going to be sixty-three others. There's bound to be a bigger chance of getting to duel Seto! And I better win! _Serenity nodded encouragingly to herself, and then she walked off to join the growing audience. She felt a mixture of excitement and impatience as she waited for all the duels to end so she could figure out her next opponent. Mixed in with that was fear of losing before facing Seto, and even facing Seto himself.

Though she didn't know it, Seto was watching her as his opponent tried to decide on a move. He could have sworn he saw her look at him a couple of times. He had to admit she was pretty suspicious. Seto didn't know what to make of her. He sure wished he could duel her. Maybe then some of his questions would be answered.


	10. Round Two Water

Disclaimer: Here is a little quiz. What do I not own?

a) The plot of this story

b) Yu-Gi-Oh!

c) All my Inuyasha and Lord of the Rings DVDs.

d) My life and all of the above (I must be pitiful, right?)

The answer is b. If you did not get that, then I suggest you study the previous disclaimers and then come back for a make-up quiz.

CHAPTER 10: Round Two [Water]

            "Round one is officially over!" Yugi announced. "Round two will begin shortly. All who are disqualified please step out to the side." A murmur of voices rose as people relocated themselves. In the crowd, Mai caught up to Téa, who was standing near a window.

            "That was simple," Mai proclaimed.

            "I so agree!" Téa agreed. "But I can't find Yami! Have you seen him?"

            "No. He's probably hanging out with Lumina."

            "GR!"

            "Take a chiller, Téa." The two waited near the side for Yugi to announce the next duel pairs. Meanwhile, Serenity was not too far away, admiring the new red stone she had in her Duelists' Glove. She looked up as Yugi started to announce the duel pairings. She crossed her fingers. She heard her name.

            "Shizuka Jounouchi will face………" Serenity closed her eyes. _Please say Seto, please say Seto!!_ "Shizuka Jounouchi will face Aquaria Silverstream." Serenity growled as she looked over at a blue-haired, blue-eyed girl who immediately looked in her direction. She had heard her sisters talking about her. Serenity looked to her other side, spotting Seto in the corner. She noticed that he looked mad for some reason.

            Seto was mad for the same reason Serenity was. He was hoping to duel her to find out more about her identity. He had his fingers crossed, but Yugi announced her too early. He cursed under his breath. He had seen "Shizuka" duel. He wanted to face her badly.

………

            "MAI! TÉA!" The two girls turned around as they say Joey and Ian rushing up to them, followed closely by a blonde haired girl.

            "Joey?" Mai queried in disbelief. "How did you get here? Domino Academy is half the kingdom away."

            "I know……… it is just-,"

            "Excuse me!" DMG cried as she suddenly came between the two boys. "I was talking to you, before you rudely shouted and tried to catch up to your girlfriends-,"

            "My turn ta' interrupt. She ain't my girlfriend; she's ma' stepsista'!"

            "Big difference! Anyways, how did you get here that fast?" Joey sighed.

            "A blue fairy with a long green dress and blonde hair zapped us hear, okay?" Ian said sarcastically out of annoyance. DMG looked shocked, not catching the sarcasm. She turned away from the others. They shrugged and kept talking.

            "Mystical Elf! How could she!?" DMG thought to herself. Meanwhile, the others talked on.

            "No……… how Joey and I really got here was by sneaking onto a carriage as it drove close to the castle from the Academy. It seems that Yami was called by his brother to help him judge. Luckily, he's our friend so he allowed us to secretly get on," Ian explained. Téa and Mai nodded.

            "I see," Téa said. "So why did you want to come here in the first place?"

            " 'Dat's easy! I wanna see ma' sista' duel!" Joey said. "If ya' two got an invitation, she did too!" Mai and Téa looked at each other nervously.

            "Uh……… oh!! Right! Wait a second……… we have to hear the pairings." Mai motioned to Téa and the two walked away from the two boys.

            "What do we do?" whispered Téa urgently. "Serenity isn't here!" Mai bit her lip and thought for a minute. She looked around to try to find a solution. She faintly heard her name in the distance and noted that she needed to duel someone named "Polly". Suddenly, her eyes fell on a veiled girl looking in their direction. She suddenly slipped away. Mai snapped her fingers.

            "Aha!" she said. "I have an idea. You saw that mysterious girl, right? Shizuka? Well, no one knows what she looks like and nobody can see her face. Why don't we pretend that's Serenity?" Téa clasped her hands together.

            "Perfect!" she cried. "We'll lie to Joey that that is Serenity and he'll believe us because he doesn't know who she really is and can't see her face! It's too perfect!"

            "And…" Mai added. "If he asks us about her name and all, we'll say that she wants to be mysterious to surprise Seto!"

            "Let's go tell Joey!"

………

            Serenity sighed as she waited for Yugi to finish announcing the names. She wished she could duel Seto right then and there. As she waited, she looked around her to see if she found any familiar faces that she hadn't notice before. She saw Mai and Téa whispering to the side. Serenity smirked, and Mai looked around before resting her eyes right on her. For a moment, the two looked at each other. Conscious of what she was doing, Serenity gasped and slipped away. Then, Yugi announced the final pairing, the duelist facing Seto, and the girl next to Serenity squealed with joy at the mention of her name.

            Serenity squeezed through the crowd as she went to go find her partner in an empty space to duel. She saw Aquaria standing next to the corner. Her jaw dropped as she saw Joey and another boy standing in that corner, and Mai was whispering something to them in the last second before rushing to her partner that happened to be right next to Serenity. Joey waved to Serenity, which nearly made her heart stop.

            _Don't panic! He can't recognize you. You know Joey. He's always trying to impress girls. Maybe Mai told him about me being all suspicious. I can defiantly feel everyone's eyes on the back of my head. _Serenity breathed deeply as she approached her partner. Just then, DMG skipped over to Joey and Serenity's jaw dropped for the second time.

………

            Mai and Téa went different ways as the crowd starting searching for their partners. After a while, Mai saw Joey already standing ready to watch the mysterious veiled girl. She rushed over to him and he turned to acknowledge her.

            "There! See that veiled girl? That's Serenity. She wants to surprise Seto by being suspicious so that's why she's wearing the veil. I have to go now." Mai quickly left and Joey turned toward the approaching girl. Even though he was a little confused, he still waved to her. He thought he saw the girl, or "Serenity", falter as he noticed her.

            "Hey!" Joey almost jumped out of his skin. He looked to his right to find DMG standing next to him. Joey sighed with relief.

            "Don't do 'dat!" he cried.

            "Sorry, sorry!" DMG winked. Joey and Ian looked at each other. They looked back at Serenity, who was just starting to shuffle her Deck. Aquaria shuffled too, then slid her Deck into the card recognize her.

………

            Serenity closed her eyes and shuffled her deck. Not only was she nervous that she was having her second duel and by now a lot of the easier opponents had gone, but also that Joey was standing a couple of feet to her left and he seemed to recognize her.

            _Don't be a fool. He can't recognize you. Are you crazy?_ Serenity shook her head and slid her Deck into the card recognizer. She looked up and found that Aquaria was ready to Duel, five cards already in her hand. Serenity also drew her cards and waited for Aquaria's first move.

            "Okay, my turn first!" Aquaria declared in a musical voice, drawing a card. "Ah perfect! Merri the Water Witch () in Attack Mode. This Spellcastor has 1600 attack power. Your turn!"

            "Alright!" Serenity made a quick mental note to keep using the accent, and then drew a card. She had more than enough Trap cards in her hand. Unfortunately, she was missing some good Magic cards. She had an idea of a good strategy in her hand, but she decided to wait for Aquaria's next move to confirm it.

            "I place this card face down in Defense," she said, and a glowing yellow rectangle appeared on the field. Serenity smiled to herself as she mentally perfected her strategy. She had a good idea on how to use the Trap cards, but she wasn't sure yet. Suddenly, Joey yelled out something, and whatever strategy Serenity had in her mind was swept away as she turned to him in disbelief.

            "GO! GO SERENITY! YOU CAN DO IT, SIS!"

………

            "Where is he? I can't see him! Did a mob of girls attack him? Where is he dueling? Did he lose already? Oh, Maximillion, I'm-,"

            "Cecilia, calm down! I see him over there in that corner. Come on!" Pegasus led his wife and Mokuba as the three of them hurried down the palace steps onto the Dueling Ballroom Floor. None of the Duelists paid attention to the fact that the king, queen, and prince had entered the room.

            "There must be over a hundred girls here! Surely one of them will be able to beat Seto!" Maximillion assured Cecilia.

            "Yeah?" Mokuba challenged. "My brother is the best duelist in Domino… wait! The best duelist in the entire world… wait! Make that the universe!" Cecilia smirked.

            "Thanks for reassuring that Seto will definitely get a bride today, Mokuba."

            "It's okay, Mom! Besides, if he gets married, then he won't play with me! That's why I don't want him to get married!" Pegasus kneeled down next to Mokuba.

            "But think of it this way… if Seto marries, then you can tease him all the time about the two of them together." Mokuba thought for a moment.

            "That's a good idea! Thanks Dad! I can't wait for Seto to get married!"

………

            "Hi! My name's Polly! I know you're Mai. Everyone knows you! You're that daughter of Gozaburo Kaiba. That's why you can operate these disks so well! I know you can Duel well! Can you teach me? Let's duel first! I'm going to beat you! Don't go easy on me!" The blonde haired girl opposite Mai said this all in one breath before flashing a toothy grin at her opponent. Mai slightly smiled back, but everyone could clearly see she was annoyed (if they were looking, that it). Polly quickly drew her first card and laid five cards face down.

            "Your turn!" she announced. Mai raised her eyebrows as she saw all five cards laid out on the field, all Magic and Trap. Mai drew a card and looked at it. She placed it on the field.

            "Harpie Lady in Attack Mode! Then, I play Harpie's Feather Duster! Now all your cards are gone. Finally, I play Elegant Egotist and call upon two more Harpies. Now all of them will attack!" Polly gasped as her LP went down to zero in an instant. Mai was equally shocked. She had expected more of a challenge, not a one-second Duel.

            "That must've been the shortest Duel in history!" she remarked. Polly scowled and stomped off. Mai shrugged and headed back to Joey. He saw he was still watching the veiled girl. She played a Monster face down and ended her turn. Suddenly, Joey shouted out something that made Mai stumble. She saw the veiled girl whisk around to face Joey.

            "UH OH!" Mai cried, running toward them.

………

            _He didn't say that! He did not say that! Joey did not recognize you! Come on, Serenity! Don't give up now!_ DMG was praying that Serenity did not throw off her disguise. It was a very precarious situation. DMG knew that Serenity would have definitely panicked by now. _Come down, Serenity. Remember! Just, keep the act going! I'll get you out of this… somehow!_

            "Joey!" DMG sighed with relief as Mai came calling. She rushed over to Joey and pulled him away.

            "Wha'?" Joey queried.

            "You idiot! Didn't I tell you that Serenity wanted to be kept a secret? Pretend her name is Shizuka and don't shout out like that!"

            "Sorry…" Mai nodded and quickly walked over to Serenity.

………

            Serenity was near the end of the panic line at that moment. Just when she thought everything was going smoothly and that she might have a fighting chance in this duel, Joey screams her name and she realized that she has to give up her fake identity. To add to that, Mai was coming toward her. _Maybe I should just come clean and tell the truth. Maybe they won't get too angry with me. Joey will protect me. Maybe I can go off with him to Domino Academy…wait, that's an all boys' school. Maybe there's an all girls' school nearby. _

            "Shizuka," Mai whispered urgently as she got closer. Serenity prepared to take off her veil but Mai quickly proceeded. "Listen! That was a whole mistake! That boy, his name is Joseph and he's my stepbrother. You see, he comes all the way from Domino Academy and he thought his sister was going to Duel. The problem was, she wasn't invited."

            _Liar!_ Serenity thought.

            "Anyway, we told him that you were her just so he wouldn't get all worked up about it. After all, no one sees your face. I hope you don't mind."

            "Not at all," Serenity replied, using her British accent.

            "Good. In fact, can I ask you a favor? Can you act like you know him? Call him Joey and maybe say every once in a while a thank you for his support. Would that be too distracting?"

            "No, not at all. It will be fun to play along," Serenity lied.

            "Great! Thank you so much, you're a doll!" Serenity watched as Mai went back to stand near Joey. Serenity gritted her teeth. _She's right, I am a doll! Or actually, a puppet is more like it. I'm on DMG's strings and hers. I, Serenity, have to pretend like I'm not Serenity pretending to be Serenity! How confusing!_ Serenity turned back to Aquaria, who had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot in impatience.

            "What was that all about? Why did he call you Serenity?"

            "No reason. It's hard to explain. I am really Shizuka. Now it's your turn." Serenity turned back to Mai, Joey, Ian, and DMG. Mai, Joey, and Ian gave her a thumbs-up. DMG shrugged and pointed to the clock. Serenity noticed it was already eight. She nodded and concentrated on the Duel.

………

            "Wow!" Mai whispered to DMG while the boys weren't looking. "That was a close one."

            "You bet," DMG replied. "I hope you told her that she has to pretend like she's Serenity."

            "I did. Now, I have two questions. One is… how do you know of Serenity?"

            "Oh…uh…me? Oh…uh… I met her in the market one day. Yeah, in the market. She was lost or something. Yes, I met her and we talked a little. That's all."

            "I see. Next question… why are you wearing those clothes?" Joey and Ian also turned at the hearing of this question.

            "What clothes?" DMG stuttered. She buried her mind for an excuse. "OH! OH, these clothes! Well…these clothes? Um… oh, I'm wearing them because my friends and I are doing… are… doing a play! Yeah, a play! I'm playing a Dark Magician Girl, as you can tell. Yeah… I was just about to go home from the theater but I decided that in wanted to watch the Dueling. Yeah…"

            "Do you live around here?" Ian asked.

            "Of course."

            "Then why weren't you invited? I heard that the prince invited every young unmarried woman in the kingdom."

            "Oh… that… well… you … see… I … I … I'm engaged! Yeah, engaged recently."

            "OH!" Mai cried. "Oh, that's so lovely! Who's the lucky guy?"

            "My fiancé? Oh… he… he… his name is Svrion and he plays the Dark Magician in the play! Yeah! We met on the set and all…"

            "Aw! That's so sweet! On a side, completely random, what's your name?"

            "My name? It's Cyrrielle." Joey, who had turned back to the Dueling, suddenly whipped around.

            "Who said cereal? I want cereal!"

            "NO! I meant C-y-r-r-i-e-l-l-e! Cyrrielle! Don't worry, though, I get that a lot." Mai nodded and they all turned back to Dueling. DMG sighed with relief. _Ha! I actually named my biggest rival, Svrion, as my fiancé! I must be going crazy!_

………

            "I attack your face down card with Merri! Go! Attack!" Serenity smirked as the Witch came to attack. She quickly pushed a button on her Duel Disk.

            "Ha! My Yamiyari Princess () is too strong for you with her 1700 Defense." Aquaria's eyes widened as her attack was repelled and she went down to 2900 LP.

            "Alrigh'! Go Shizuka!" Joey yelled from the side.

            "You can do it!" Ian added. Serenity turned toward them and nodded, though she felt really nervous inside. How was she going to pull off the fact that she was not Serenity to everyone, but still pretending to be Serenity for Joey and Ian? It was so confusing for her to remember who knew and who didn't and even, who was supposed to know what. Serenity's brain hurt thinking about it, nonetheless thinking about an actual _strategy_.

            "Oh fine! It's not that bad!" Aquaria declared as she eyed her cards. "Ah perfect! I place this card face down on the field! End turn!" Serenity drew a card.

            "Remember your strategy!" Mai called. Serenity turned to her and she winked.

            "Yeah, the strategy!" DMG repeated with a wink of her own. Serenity gritted her teeth. _The only strategy I need right now is one to defeat Aquaria, not to be acting myself and not myself. What to play! I'm so confused! I don't know what to do! I'll just do something random._ Serenity selected a card.

            "I place one card face down, like you. I end my turn." Aquaria drew a card and placed it face down.

            "I end my turn." Serenity drew and she was flooded by a wave of encouraging remarks from her friends, the ones from Mai and DMG being excessively obvious as double meanings. Serenity couldn't concentrate with the pressure of keeping herself from not blowing up. She took a card from her hand and laid it face down. She nodded for her opponent to start her turn. Aquaria raised her eyebrows.

            "Is that how you want to be, eh? Well, ah, perfect! I love these games." _Yeah, game! I have two people who are using me like a toy, and two people that think I am who a really am but not trying to be. Lovely game my life is. And all because I want to duel Seto! _Aquaria placed one card face down and ended her turn.

            Serenity's only strategy was to keep imitating her opponent. She placed another card face down. Aquaria placed two more cards face down and so did Serenity. Now the two of them had five cards each face down and one monster a piece. They each had five cards in their hand. The only difference was that Aquaria had 2900 LP and Serenity had her original amount.

            "Now," Aquaria said, looking at the array of cards glowing yellow on the field. "Let's see who has the best strategy here." _Go ahead, Aquaria. Soon you'll see I have no strategy. _Aquaria drew a card and smirked.

            "Now, I'm going to dismantle you piece by piece. First, I'll start off easy by activating my Magic Card first. It's called Little Bubbles (). It destroys your monster and deducts 1000 LP for any non-Water monster you have. So, say good-bye to your Yamiyari Princess!" The face down card rose up and thousands of bubbles flew toward the Princess. Serenity randomly pushed a button and one of her own face down cards flew up.

            "I activate… Mirror Sight (). This card deducts the same amount of LP that I'm about to lose." Joey and Ian cheered as they shouted her fake name. Mai and DMG gave her applause and winked as if to keep reminding her. Serenity bit her tongue and nodded to them, even though what she really wanted to do was stomp over and remove their hide.

            "Nice try, but you forget my other cards. I activate Flooding (), a quick-play card! This allows me to stop all damages to either players LP. Now, all that happens is the Yamiyari Princess goes bye-bye!"

            "No way!" Serenity insisted. "I refuse to allow you to take my Monster. I activate Stop Magic (). The effect of Flooding is canceled."

            "Oh yeah? Well guess again. I have had enough of this. All our cards are going! I activate Relinquish! (). Now we have to get rid of all the cards on the field." Joey, Ian, DMG, and Mai gasped, suddenly shouting all at once a myriad of suggestions. Serenity couldn't concentrate. "Now, after the cards are destroyed I shall play a powerful Monster and rid you of most of your LP."

            "Not so fast! What did I say about giving up my Princess? Never!" Despite the fact that Serenity had no idea what cards she had placed face down, and that she had to act like a totally different person for Mai and DMG while still being the same person for Joey and Ian, she was still not about to give up one of her favorite monsters. "I activate Stop Trap (). Like my previous Trap, this allows me to destroy your Relinquish."

            "Well, my cards are as precious to me as yours are to you. I activate Trigger (). Since you played that Trap card, you lose 1000 LP for your unkindness." Another multitude of helpful comments and positive encouraging arose from the sideline cheerleaders, who had now been joined by Téa. Mai quickly explained what was going on and she understood. 

            "Unkindness? Well, you haven't seen anything yet! I activate Counter (), which makes the 1000 LP deducted from your LP instead of mine."

            "Tsk! Tsk! How cruel indeed. Well, luckily I have my last Trap, Destroy (). This destroys any card that was played before this. I choose your last one. By the way, did you keep track of who lost what by now?" Serenity thought to herself.

            "No! But there's no need for that. It's time to reveal my last card, and it is… Reverse Time Reset ()! This Trap has multiple steps. First, all effects of cards are canceled. Second, each of us discards every card we have in our hand and field into the Graveyard." Aquaria realized she had no more cards she could play so she had to obey. She took her Hand and Field cards and slid them into the Graveyard slot. "Third, our LP reset back to 3000. Finally, we each draw five new cards and begin again. Just like the beginning of the Duel, you go first but cannot attack. The only difference is that we each have over ten of our cards in the Graveyard. No problem. My Yamiyari Princess served me well."

            "So it's like we're back to the beginning to start all over again? Give me a break! I am way to smart for this!" Serenity raised her eyebrows.

            "What do you mean?" she asked. She then realized that her accent was coming along so well it was like she had used it for years. "You can't just-,"

            "I quit!" Aquaria declared. "If we keep dueling, it will take forever for us to finish! I'm not going to spend my life trying to beat you and win Seto's heart. There are other ways, Shizuka. Dueling does not make you fall in love with someone. There's no point in beating someone just to marry them. Bye-bye!" Serenity's jaw dropped as Aquaria simply took of her Duel Disk. Serenity's own Duel Disk turned off and a small blue stone appeared out of the same secret place as the last. Aquaria walked off.

            _That was strange, but luckily it's over. It's almost half past eight right now. I don't have much time. It looks like most of the Duels are over. I have to go talk to DMG._ Serenity slipped the blue stone into her glove and skipped over to the others.

            _I am still happy though. I actually won two duels! At least, one and a half. Next, there'll only be thirty-two Duelists! There's a bigger chance of me Dueling Seto. I can't wait! _


	11. Round Three Dark

Disclaimer: Ready for the make-up quiz? This one is true or false.

T or F I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Please say you answered true, because otherwise you would be very stupid indeed.

CHAPTER 11: Round Three [Dark]

"Dat waz a great duel, sis!" Joey exclaimed.

"I agree!" Ian put in, looking dreamily at Serenity. She nearly jumped out of her skin. She had to get used to the fact that she was pretending to be Serenity for them… wait … she was Serenity! So she was Serenity pretending to be Shizuka for everyone but Joey and Ian, for whom she was pretending to be Serenity trying to act like Shizuka for Seto. Great! Just wonderful! She got that… NOT!

"Hello," Serenity greeted the five others. She hoped she wouldn't mess up for the two minutes she had to talk to them in. Only one more duel was going on at the moment, and it looked like it was going to be over in a few minutes.

"Hey, Shiz!" Mai called. "I want you to meet Téa, my sister. And I'm sure you know your own brother Joey and his friend, Ian." Mai winked at Serenity, which was almost enough to make her kill Mai, but DMG silenced her with a warning glare.

"Oh, and I'm sure you know Cyrrielle, the one you met when you were lost in the market or something."

"Yes, I remember," Serenity said. She was trying very hard to make her accent seem fake - which it was - for Joey while still maintaining the fact that she did have an accent for Mai and Téa. And I was just about to say that I was having fun so far…

"So, Cy - Cy - Cy - um, Cyril? Can I speak to you for a minute?" DMG raised her eyebrows, but reluctantly followed her to a corner away from the others. Serenity quickly pushed her to the side.

"HEY-!"

"DMG! What do you think you're doing? Hello? I only have so many brain cells! I can't manage everything. It's enough to pretend you're a different person… but having to pretend that you're a different person pretending to be yourself but still acting like yourself is a totally different person and pretending that yourself is pretending to be a different person just so that your stepsisters don't get angry, your brother doesn't find out, and neither does Seto!?"

"You know that I didn't get a word of that, right?"

"DMG! It's not the time to joke around! I'm serious. I have an identity to manage as well as my dueling technique. What am I to do?"

"Hey! It's not like I have no strings attached to me. I have to pretend like I barely know you."

"Guess what? If you think I'm actually going to follow through with this plan, then you barely know me."

"Hey! It's you that wants to marry Seto."

"I don't want to marry Seto! I just-," Serenity cut off as she heard Yugi clearing his throat.

"Excuse me! May I have your attention?" Serenity shot a withering look at DMG, one that she wasn't even sure DMG could see, and then turned. "Can all the defeated Duelists please step back into the audience space? Thank you. Now, the thirty-one of you girls along with Prince Seto may step forward. Okay, really quickly, we have put together the next round match-ups so listen up!"

_Please let me Duel Seto! Serenity prayed. Unknown to her, others were also praying alongside her._

_ Please let me Duel that mysterious girl! Seto prayed. She seems to be a really good strategist and I want to know who she is._

Please let me Duel Shizuka! Mai prayed. Not that I don't like her, but it's so stressful to have her around. If she was gone, I won't have any trouble with Joey.

_ Please let ma' sista' Duel someone easy! I wan' her to win! Joey prayed. _

_ Please let Serenity Duel someone hard! Ian prayed. I would hate for her to marry Prince Seto!_

_ Please, please, Serenity! Just hold on and keep your identity! DMG prayed. You can get through this! And as for whom you Duel… please get to Duel Seto! Finish this thing off so you can let go of the fake act!_

Yugi held out his piece of paper with all the Duel match-ups. He cleared his throat.

"Okay! First, I have…" From there he began the long list of names for all the contestants. There were only sixteen Duels this time. Shizuka perked up as she heard her name.

"Shizuka Jounouchi will face… Darkial Night." Serenity's shoulders slumped as she turned to either side. She knew everyone at the ball knew her, the "mysterious girl", so whoever was facing her was sure to look in her direction.

Sure enough, a raven-girl in a sharply contrasting white gown eyed her direction. She had medium tinged skin that matched with the thousands of miniature ribbons on her dress. The girl seemed friendly enough, smiling back when she saw that Serenity was watching. Serenity instantly smiled back, before realizing she had to nod or no one would know it. The other girl got the message.

Serenity was rudely interrupted when Yugi announced the name of Prince Seto's opponent, and the girl right next to her screamed with joy. _Why do they always have to be near me? Why can't they actually be me for a change?_ Serenity could feel the anger within her rising, and she fought to control it. She wished she had magical powers so she could make sure the wench next to her didn't win. Not like she really needed to anyway. Not to say that Serenity stereotyped people, but the totally thrilled girl next to her was tall, pretty, and blonde… seeing from Mai's example, they can be pretty dumb and obnoxious sometimes. And Serenity knew that Seto would never tolerate someone like that. He would make sure to defeat her.

"I'm safe!" Serenity whispered gladly. For a second, the thought of actually wanting to marry Seto crossed her mind, but she quickly shook it off and proceeded to find her opponent.

"Hello!" Serenity jumped and whirled around. Darkial was almost right in her face. It was a bit of a shock.

"Um… hello?"

"Glad to meet you! I'm Darkial! Let's get started on our Duel right away!" Serenity raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes. Great! I'm stuck with a hyperish girl. Just great! The two activated their Duel Disks and got ready to begin their Duel. Ian, Joey, and DMG quickly found the pair and prepared to cheer "Shizuka" on.

"You can do it!" Ian cried.

"We know you can!" DMG added. Joey just whistled. Serenity restrained herself from smacking her foreheads. What idiots! I don't need trouble before the Duel even starts!

"Are you ready?" Darkial asked, flipping her raven colored hair. Serenity nodded and drew her five cards, Darkial doing the same.

"Okay, I think I'll go first!" Darkial declared as she drew a card and played it on the field. "I play Enchantress from the Shadows (). This Dark Spellcaster has 1200 attack points. Then, I shall play a card face down and end my turn."

"My turn! First I draw…" Serenity drew a card and looked at it. She looked up at Darkial and tried to form a strategy. Darkial's Enchantress twirled her staff and placed both hands on her hips, glaring sternly at Serenity. Her long black gown was spread out like a fan.

_Let's see. If the pattern of Duelists I've played so far continues, then this Duelist is most likely to have all Dark monsters. There are so many Duelists out there that focus on only one Attribute. Anyways, what would be a good strategy to use against Dark monsters? So far, I have to figure out what that face down card is. Maybe I should try attacking. How harmful can it be?_ Serenity nodded and placed a card on the field.

"Black-Silver Damsel () in attack mode! Attack that Enchantress!" A fairy wearing a silver costume rose up from the card with a bow and arrow. Nocking an arrow, She aimed and fired. Darkial chuckled and pushed a button.

"I activate my Trap, Magic Cylinder! This allows me to deduct some of your LP. Since your Monster has 1500 attack, you lose half your LP." Serenity gasped. Her LP dropped down to 1500. How harmful can it be? Oh dear! I wasn't expecting that!

………

"Hey Cyrrielle!" DMG, Ian, and Joey turned to find Téa running toward them. "My partner surrendered, don't know why. I guess there are a bunch of wimps in this tournament. So, is Shizuka winning?" The three shook their heads simultaneously.

"She was, until you came," Ian informed. Téa looked over at the Duel. DMG was right. Serenity had just lost half her LP in one move.

"That's not good, it is?" DMG shook her head again. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a flash of purple and a long blue staff. Before she blinked, it was gone.

"That's funny!" she remarked. The others turned to the direction she was facing.

"Wha's funny?" Joey asked. DMG shrugged.

"I thought I saw something." Just then, there was a flash of something golden and then something brown. DMG blinked twice. She felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she gasped.

………

"Maybe that teaches you something about being careful!" Darkial taunted as she drew a card. Looking at her Hand, she placed one card face down and then played another card.

"Dark Warrior Mistress (), in defense mode!" A monster that resembled Darkial rose up from the card in crouching position. In one hand she held a Japanese sword, and in the other she held a fan. She had on a long black kimono. "Your turn, Shizuka." Shizuka looked down at her card as she drew from her Deck. She didn't really have a good strategy to go by. At least for now, she would just have to attack.

The Warrior has only 1200 defense points. I can crush it easily with my newest card, Flirting Fairy (). In fact, I can even destroy the Enchantress I wanted to last time. I doubt her face down card is really powerful. Sure, Magic Cylinder was, but what are the chances of two powerful Traps in a row. I bet she suspects I will be suspicious about that card and not attack. That's why she didn't bother to switch the position of her other monster. Serenity played her monster.

"I call on Flirting Fairy! Attack the Enchantress and rid the field of her!" The Fairy took out a pouch of silver dust and sprayed it over the field. Darkial pushed a button, shaking her head in silent laughter.

"You make the same mistake twice? How dense are you?" Her face down card revealed to be none other than another Magic Cylinder. Serenity gasped as her LP dropped to 100. Great! I shouldn't take anything from Darkial as a joke. She's serious! I never expected two of the same card. Next time, I won't take any chances. Serenity bit her lip and took a card from her hand.

"I'll just place this face down and end my turn!" Darkial smiled.

"Thank you so much, Shizuka! Now you are in so much trouble!" Serenity narrowed her eyes.

………

"What is it, Cyrrielle?" Téa asked, turning around. DMG stood rooted to the spot. Facing her were three men.

"Are those real Duel Monsters?" Téa asked. Joey and Ian turned around.

"Hey! Look, Cyrrielle. Didn't you say those people were from your theater group?" He eyed the Dark Magician, Lord of Dragons, and Dragon Master Knight.

"What theater are you talking about, man? We're Duel Monsters!" DMG gulped and panicked.

"Oh! They're kidding!" she replied hastily, looking at them with an expression that said, "play along with me, please?" As if to make matters worse, Mai came running along.

"Hey Cyrrielle… who are they?" DMG turned to her and smiled, though inside she felt as much pressure as Serenity felt at that moment.

"Oh! Um… these are my fellow actors! Aundren, who is Dragon Master Knight, Hufanse, who is Lord of Dragons, and Svrion, the Dark Magician."

"Oh!" Mai exclaimed. "Isn't that your fiancé?" DMG's jaw dropped as Dark Magician glared at her. DMG gave him a look that halted any question he had at the moment. The other two men looked at each other then at Svrion before breaking into chuckles. DMG blushed heavily. She was doomed… period!

"Yes!" she replied. "Like I told you before. Anyway, I have to discuss something with them. Excuse me." DMG motioned for the three Duel Monsters to follow her to a corner.

………

"You should have really been more careful," Darkial pointed out. She drew her card and set it in her hand. "Now, I am going to wipe you out for good." She took the two monsters she had on the field and sent them to the Graveyard.

"What are you-," Serenity cut off. She knew what was going to happen.

"I sacrifice my two monsters to bring out Darker than the Night ()! This monster has 2600 attack power." A beast with shaggy black hair and eyes like black holes appeared. "Attack, my Beast, and destroy her Life Points!" Upon her command, the creature lunged forward.

"This is when you have to be careful!" Serenity announced, pushing a button on her Duel Disk. "I activate Oracle Gate (). This card is just like Magic Cylinder, except that it doubles the number of attack points your monster has and then deducts it from your LP. Of course, I lose half my LP as well, but I have 50 still while you are left with absolutely nothing!" Everything on the field disappeared and Darkial's Duel Disk dropped down to 0.

"NO! I lost!"

………

"What do you think you're doing?" Svrion demanded, eyeing DMG.

"Let me explain!" she said. "See, I had to help Serenity get to the ball. She's the veiled girl, going by Shizuka so no one recognizes her. She wants to be a surprise. Anyway, the others asked me why I wasn't invited to the ball, since every unmarried women was invited. I made up the excuse that I was engaged… to you. Now, don't be angry! Just play along for now. I promise to sort everything out. For right now, pretend you guys are part of a theater group and Svrion, don't moan, but you're going to have to play my fiancé." Svrion moaned.

"Come on, what harm can it do, man?" Lord of Dragons asked, patting Svrion on the back. "You've had a crush on her for the past five… oh, oops!" Svrion turned angrily toward Hufanse. DMG blushed furiously.

"WHAT?"

"Keep cool, gal, keep cool!" Hufanse rushed over to DMG. "I didn't say anything." Svrion exhaled tiredly.

"How about we get back to the others to avoid any other mishaps," suggested the usually quiet Aundren.

"Good idea," Svrion muttered.

………

"I won!" Serenity cried. A black stone popped out of a secret compartment in her Duel Disk and she slipped it in her glove. She had three now. Three more to go!

_I'm almost there! Come on Serenity! You can do this!_


	12. Round Four Light

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

CHAPTER 12: Round Four [Light]

            After the third round was complete, all the Duelists were given a break until ten. Serenity got introduced to Svrion, Hufanse, and Aundren whom she recognized as the very same Duel Monsters who had helped with her arrival at the Tournament. Of course, Svrion was new to Serenity, but DMG didn't explain too much about him. After all, she didn't want any more complications.

            "He's… just my…friend," DMG explained. Then, Mai and Téa came over.

            "Hello, Shizuka, have you been having a good time?" they asked.

            "Oh yes, certainly." _NO! Of course not! I'm trying to be two different people here, and I can barely keep track of what everyone knows me to be. You guys think I'm Shizuka pretending to be Serenity for Joey and Ian. They think I'm Serenity pretending to be Shizuka for Seto. Seto probably doesn't give a freaking care, and the Duel Monster people who are pretending to be humans know I'm Serenity. Everyone else thinks I'm plain Shizuka who can't for the life of them start to figure out why every once in a while, someone calls me Serenity. _

            "Shizuka, I asked you who you have your eye on Dueling next, if it can't be Seto. I asked you three times."

            "Oh… um… I don't know, to be honest. Maybe, it would be nice if I could duel one of you." _That would be awesome! I can get rid of them and not have to think about… wait, if I defeat them, they will be on the sidelines forever. Bad idea… though, it might be nice to defeat them and laugh in their faces, even if I won't be able to at home._

            "Shizuka! You keep zoning out! Are you okay? I asked you whether you really like Prince Seto."

            "Oh… um, no. I don't, to be honest again. I'm only here to Duel him, not marry him. I have no interest in marrying." _Well, maybe I do. After all, there are like fifty friends of Joey who have their eyes on me from what he says. I've seen them when they came for the summer break two years ago. Some of them were really cute. Of course, none were as cute as Seto, but even if he is deadly good-looking, he's a jerk!_

            "Earth to Shizuka! Do you want something to eat? Dinner is being served."

            "Huh? Oh! Of course. I am very hungry, to be honest."

            "You like being honest." _Yeah, as if! If I were **really** honest, I would tell you I am really Serenity. But no, I am not being honest, am I? _Serenity followed Mai, Téa, Joey, and Ian to the dining hall. Five long tables were set up. Serenity sat down in a seat near the end and the others sat all around her. Unfortunately for Serenity… Seto took the end seat at the head of the table. Serenity gulped.

            _Oh no! Not now! Not here! I'm doomed!_

            "Hello," Seto said, with a smile that looked very, very forced. Téa and Mai squealed, nearly sending Joey, who was sandwiched between them, tumbling off of his chair. Seto glanced at Serenity. Suddenly, his smile wasn't very forced anymore. Serenity noticed, and her heart stopped. _I am in trouble…_

            "I am curious to figure out how you are able to eat with that veil," Seto remarked. Serenity gulped. She had completely missed that part. _That's right! **How am I going to eat with my veil???**_

            "Oh! That… well, your Highness, the answer is that I am not going to eat at all… to be honest." Serenity was surprised she could even speak to him, let alone flawlessly use her accent. It seemed she had gotten used to it. _Oh, then it might be hard to lose it after tonight. Great, I want the meal to end!_

            "Then you won't have the energy to Duel, that would be a shame," Seto said. _That's right, I won't. I'll lose for sure. I have to sneak and eat something._

            "Why do you care so much?" Shizuka asked.

            "Because… I want to Duel you. After watching you so much, I noticed I had developed a… you can say, liking towards you." Serenity nearly fainted. _A liking? He likes me??? What?? Is this a joke??? Is he mildly putting into terms that he has a **crush** on me? Well… I'm not even me! That's ridiculous! NO! NO! NO!_ Serenity looked at Seto with a very, very stunned expression. He couldn't see it. However, DMG, sitting exactly opposite to them, could sense Serenity's thoughts. She quickly nodded her head toward the doorway. Serenity noticed and quickly got up and hurried to the doorway, DMG following.

            "Wait! Did I say something wrong?" Seto called. Just then, who else but Pegasus, Cecilia, and Mokuba show up.

            "Hello dear," Cecilia greeted. "Having fun?"

            "NO!" Seto responded. "I actually – for once – met a girl I liked and now I said something and she ran away!" Pegasus and Cecilia looked at each other and tried to surprise their giggles.

            "My brother has a crush! WOO! I have to tell the whole world."

………

            "What's wrong, Seren?" DMG asked. Serenity raised her veil once she got out of sight of anyone in the ball.

            "The prince likes me."

            "What?"

            "You know what he said. Maybe you were too wrapped up in your conversation with the others, but he clearly said he had developed a liking to me. And that's not all. When I was actually Serenity meeting him in the market, he said _I don't usually develop a liking to many girls._ At that time, he had meant that he had developed a liking to me. The real me. As in… earth to DMG, he has a crush on Serenity and Shizuka and **they are both the same!**"

            "That's freaky."

            "And that's one thing I didn't count on. I am doomed, DMG. I will never, ever be able to think straight when I am dueling him."

            "How can he like you? He doesn't even know what you look like."

            "Hey, we're talking about Prince Seto the best duelist in the world. A dog would fall in love with a dog, a horse with a horse, and a duelist with a duelist. He probably loves my dueling talent."

            "Which is nonexistent."

            "DMG!"

            "Okay, just listen. Don't freak out. Keep your cool. Always remember who you really are… Serenity Wheel- Kaiba, a girl who over fifty boys from Domino Academy have a crush on."

            "How did you know?"

            "I can sense your thoughts. Anyways, keep your head high. Act as if over a million boys like you and Prince Seto is one of the few who get lower priority because… of some strange reason."

            "Why would I do that?"

            "What do you mean? You prefer Seto over the other boys who like you?"

            "Yes! No." DMG's face lit up, a smirk playing around her lips. Serenity fought the urge to scream. Instead, she calmly raised her eyebrows.

            "That is the least of our worries," she finally said, snapping the veil back over her face. She resumed her British accent, which she had somehow stopped using. "I must figure out how to eat."

………

            "Can you believe it? My son is finally in love!"

            "Mom! I'm not in love! I just happen to take interest in that girl. No! Mom! She's a good duelist. MOM!!"

            "Cecilia, dear, this is the moment we have been waiting for!" Pegasus and Cecilia dreamily stared off into space, already trying to figure out how to decorate the ballroom for the wedding Seto was assuring them he would not have. Mokuba was talking to the other girls, and they all found him adorable. In the end, he came back to his family with a smile from spreading the word and swollen cheeks from the pinching. DMG and Serenity appeared and sat back down at the table. Serenity scanned the food on her table.

            _Right. Maybe I just won't eat now. After I finish a Duel, maybe I can come back here and sneak something. There's only fifteen minutes left of dinner anyway. Then it's back to the Dueling. There are only fourteen other girls, Seto, and me left. I really hope I Duel Seto now._

            Serenity looked over at Seto. He was still arguing something with his parents. The king and queen suddenly raised their heads and looked at Serenity. Suddenly, they broke into wide grins. Serenity raised her eyebrows. _Ooooooookkkkkkkkkaaaaayyyyyyyyyy!_

            "May I please have your attention?" came Yugi's voice. "All Duelists still in the running have five minutes to report to the ballroom for the next round's match-ups. The rest of the Duelists and all audience members please report to the ballroom in fifteen minutes." Serenity looked back at her plate. It was still clean. She hadn't had any time to figure out how she was going to eat. Serenity sighed and got up from the chair. She motioned to DMG, who nodded. Serenity left the dining hall and went into the virtually empty ballroom. Only two people were in there, Yami and Yugi, eating dinner and talking. She knew them both. Yugi was an excellent Duelist and Yami was also. Téa had always talked about Yami, her crush.

            The two boys looked up as Serenity came closer.

            "Oh, hello," Yami greeted.

            "Hi Yugi! Hi Yami!" Serenity greeted. The two boys looked at her in amazement.

            "How do you know our-?"

            "Shush!" Serenity looked around to make sure no one was there. Then, she lifted her veil. They couldn't help but gasp.

            "Listen guys, you have to keep this a secret, okay?" Serenity whispered, using her real voice.

            "Why are you doing this?" Yami asked.

            "My sisters wouldn't let me go to the ball, so I had to get in a disguise and come here myself. Very few know me as Serenity. I have to explain something here to you. I have three minutes. It's very complicated, but always call me Shizuka okay? I don't want anyone to know. There is a blonde haired girl and three guys who also know who I really am. Mai and Téa think I am Shizuka, and so does the prince. They tricked Joey into thinking I'm Serenity."

            "But you are Serenity."

            "I know that. But Mai and Téa don't. So they think they are tricking Joey when they say I am Serenity. So for Joey's sake, pretend I am Serenity, and for Ian too. For the others, I am Shizuka."

            "I think I got it," Yugi said. "Anyways, want a cookie?"

            "OH! YES! PLEASE! THANK YOU!"

            Finally, the other Duelists started to come into the ballroom. Serenity finished her fourth cookie and snapped down her veil. She saw Téa and Mai come in behind Seto. Téa nearly jumped for joy when she saw Yami. The other girls neared Yami, Yugi, and Serenity.

            "Okay, here are the match-ups. And in case any were wondering, this is my brother, Yami." Yami said hello. Téa smiled as she greeted him. Then, a blonde haired girl appeared beside her and waved energetically to Yami. He smiled and blew her a kiss. The girl blushed, and Téa scowled.

            "Lumina!" she muttered.

            "Okay, now for the match-ups. First, Téa Gardner against…" Yugi read out all eight pairings. "Shizuka…Jounouchi faces Lumina Illumi. And finally, Prince Seto faces Hallie Good. Take your places." Yami glanced at Serenity, and then at Lumina. Serenity glanced at Lumina with a little nervousness. She remembered what Mr. Solomon had told her. _Lumina is a flawless Duelist, they say. What am I to do? I barely had anything to eat. _Lumina looked over at Serenity with a smirk on her face. Mai took Téa, who was still glaring at Lumina, and dragged her away to their next opponents. Yami gave Lumina a good luck kiss before returning to the walls to be part of the audience. The other audience members started to trickle in as well.

            "Well, Shizuka, I have heard much about you," Lumina said. "You seem to have much experience in Dueling." _Ha! This night is the first night I have Dueled for real! I only seemed to be good in Dueling because I had some decent food within me. The next few Duels will kill any energy I have from the cookies. That's why I have to face Seto **very soon!**_

            "Should we start, then?" Lumina asked, interrupting Serenity's thoughts. Serenity nodded and shuffled her Deck. She saw DMG, Dark Magician, Lord of Dragons, and Dragon Master Knight on the sidelines cheering for her. Just then, Joey, Ian, and two other boys joined them.

            _Duke! Tristan! Not them! How did they get here!_ DMG must have noticed, because she quietly pulled the newest boys over for a little talk. Then, Yugi and Yami also came over to watch. _More pressure, I don't like this!_

            "Well, it looks like we have quite an audience, don't we?" Lumina remarked, shyly waving at Yami. Serenity rolled her eyes and fit her Deck into the card recognizer. Three thousand LP appeared on the counter. Lumina did the same. They each drew five cards.

            "Let's Duel!" Lumina smirked as she drew her first card. Serenity felt Goosebumps form on her skin. So far, this was her first _real_ Duelist she had to face that she was afraid of. Serenity looked at the clock. It was fifteen past ten. Serenity felt a little nervous. No, she felt **very** nervous. "I play Devil's Angel () in attack mode!" Serenity watched as white sparks flew out of the card and a fairy dressed in red appeared, complete with Devil horns.

            "Hm… nice," Serenity commented. Lumina smiled.

            "Glad you think so. My Angel has 1800 attack points. Maybe it's a bit too high for you. You should probably _defend_ yourself." Serenity smirked behind her veil and drew a card. She remembered the Devil's Angel and its effect. She decided to play along with Lumina a little.

            "Oh dear!" she said. "I have monsters that have higher defense points than your Angel. If you end up attacking one of them, you would lose some LP." Lumina smiled a slow smile. It didn't scare Serenity. She had a plan of her own.

            "Oh well, a few LP won't matter. Besides, since you told me, I probably won't attack. So play your high defense and let me see it." Serenity took a card from her hand and spent a few seconds scanning it. It brought her memories of Mai's dueling. She would take a lot of time between moves to make someone restless. They would be so impatient that they would do something reckless. Serenity figured that Lumina was too well known as a good Duelist, and that sometimes that could intimidate people. That was not the case this time. Serenity had her own plans. She knew the effects of Devil's Lady, and that was an advantage.

            "I think I'll play this one, Princess of the Underworld ()." A raven-haired witch appeared.

            "Ha!" Lumina scoffed. "She only has 1000 defense points. So much for high defense points."

            "I didn't put her in defense, did I?" Lumina's eyes widened as she noticed the Princess was poised for attack.

            "But…"

            "My Princess of the Underworld has 1900 attack power. I would be crazy if I put her in defense." Just then, Téa appeared beside Yami.

            "Go Shizuka!" she cheered. Serenity smiled. She knew why Téa was cheering her instead of Lumina.

            "Now, my Princess! Attack with your Sword from the Dark!" The Princess lunged forward and plunged her sword into the Angel. With a scream, she was transported to the Graveyard. Lumina's LP went down to 2900. The Duel Monsters, Téa, Joey, Ian, Duke, and Tristan cheered. Yami smiled a little. Yugi didn't know whose side to pick.

            "Oh well," Lumina sighed. "That's only the start of the Duel anyway."

            "That's the spirit!" Yami cheered. Lumina smiled. Just then, they were all interrupted from a yell from behind them. Serenity turned to find a red-haired girl fall to the floor. Her opponent, Seto, laughed cruelly. In front of him was a giant Blue-Eyes that towered over the girl.

            "You are so pathetic!" Seto taunted.

"No! I lost!" the girl moaned. "NO!" Serenity shivered and turned back to Lumina.

"I don't get why the girl is so worked up about losing to him," Lumina. "I mean, if I lost, I wouldn't be on my knees moaning. I would be a little disappointed, yes, but not miserable."

            "Hello!" Téa gasped. "You wouldn't care? If you lose to Seto, you won't be able to marry him!" Lumina turned to Téa.

            "What do you mean?"

            "Don't you know? The winner of the Tournament, if it is not Seto, gets to marry him."

            "WHAT?" Serenity's eyes widened. _Don't tell me Lumina didn't know that. I've been hammered with that info since Duel one. And I myself still don't know how to weed out of that._ "I can't marry Seto! No way!"

            "Why not?" Serenity asked.

            "I don't want to marry _him_. I already have someone in mind that I want to marry."

            "Like who?" Téa asked.

            "Someone I have known for a long time that I love as much as he loves me back."

            "I wonder who that is," Téa said. "It must be someone she sees on a daily basis." She turned to Yami. "Do you know who it is?" Of course, Téa already knew Lumina meant Yami, but was curious if Yami knew. Yami was a little confused why Téa was asking him.

            "No. I thought she liked me. We're dating. Does she like someone else?"

            "I love him more than I'll ever even begin to love Seto," Lumina continued. "I can't win this Duel."

            "Then forfeit." Serenity had meant that as a joke but Lumina took it seriously. She pushed a button on her Duel Disk and all the holograms went away. Serenity's Duel Disk's secret compartment opened to reveal a White Stone. Serenity looked up at Lumina in disbelief.

            _Just like that? She quit? I won the Duel already?_


	13. Round Five Earth

Disclaimer: Hey! I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! But I know who does! Too bad, it's not anyone related to me either.

CHAPTER 13: Round Five [Earth]

            "That's it?" Serenity asked incredulously. "You're giving up? Just like that?"

            "Of course, what does it look like?" Lumina asked. "I already have someone in mind to marry. I'm not going to have two husbands. I let you slip by this time, but next time we meet we will finish our Duel." Lumina took off her Duel Disk and went off to the side. Serenity was still a little shocked that she had won so fast, and by default. _Twice already. Damn, I'm getting a good break here. But… what if I'm not prepared to face Seto? What shall I do?_

            Serenity examined her glove. She had four stones already. The two empty spaces looked easy enough to fill in. Two more Duels and she would make it.

………

            "I don't get it…" Yami said. "I thought she liked me." Téa rolled her eyes. She had done a pretty good job of confusing him… suddenly, a thought occurred to her. Of course, she was not really into make enemies from such good friends but… desperate times called for desperate measures. And, after all, Téa weighted Yami **way** more than friendship. Who says she couldn't do a little mind poisoning at a time like this?

            "Well… Yami, some people, especially girls, are very fickle. You won't imagine how many guys we go through. I think Lumina is just not ready to go steady. That's funny, it rhymes! Anyways, maybe she thinks a different guy is right for her."

            "No way!" Yami cried. "She promised she loved me… and that we would be together forever. I don't think that's like her." Téa bit her lip to keep from smiling. Yami's trust in Lumina was starting to fade.

            "Girls are like that… not saying that _I'm_ like that, but let's take my sister. She had three boyfriends at one time once. When I asked her, she said it was for back up. She wanted to make sure that if one didn't work out, then she would switch to another."

            "She treats men like Duel Monsters?" Yami queried.

            "I never thought of it that way…but yes. And if Lumina is anyhow like her… then you are probably just back up. Like your Hand cards…" Yami seemed shocked at the fact that he was probably a back up. Of course, it wasn't really a fact. It was just Téa messing with his brain so she could get him. Yami, of course, didn't catch that. Just then, the two of them noticed Lumina walking toward them.

            "Excuse me…" Yami started walking over to the doorway and Lumina followed, a bit of a worried expression on her face. She had seen Yami whispering to Téa and it was not a good sign.

            "What is it?" Lumina asked as soon as the two of them had gotten out of anyone's earshot.

            "It's over!" Yami stated. Lumina's jaw dropped.

            "WHAT?" she gasped.

            "I said it… it's over. I know what you meant when you said you wanted to marry someone else. You know, I don't really care who that is… but I'm not going to act as your back-up until you get him."

            "But I-,"

            "I know what you're planning… if you really didn't love me, you shouldn't have said so."

            "But I-,"

            "I'm sorry, Lumina, it was never meant to be." Yami turned and walked away. Lumina stood staring at him for a few minutes. He headed straight out to the balcony. Lumina couldn't understand what had happened. She saw Téa run after Yami. Lumina growled.

            "I can't believe Téa!" Lumina had a pretty good picture of what happened right then. If she had been any more of the sensible type, she would have gone right ahead and explained to Yami even if he didn't want to hear it. Of course, Lumina was a strong Silver Rule supporter. Instead of treating people the way she would like to be treated herself, like the Golden Rule, she treated others the way they treated her.

            "Fine Yami! Be that way!" she jeered silently. "So naïve, you are! I'll teach you. Eventually you'll figure out what I'm really like, and you'll be sorry." Lumina scowled and stomped off.

            Meanwhile, Téa finally got caught up to Yami staring out of the balcony. She walked over and rested her arms on the railing. Yami sighed and looked at her.

            "No offense, but girls are so rude sometimes!" Yami said, staring back out at the night sky.

            "Not all girls… Yami, you just have to be patient sometimes. You can't just decide your life in a matter of moments."

            "You're right, Téa. After all, it's like Duel Monsters. When you first start to play the game, you don't have a definite strategy, Deck, or favorite monster. Slowly, however, you start working up to it. First, you build a Deck that goes along with a strategy, and as you win a few games, you'll start perfecting the strategy. Eventually, you'll find the monster that is perfect for the strategy, and it might become your favorite." Téa rolled her eyes.

            "Jeez! Does this guys relate everything to Duel Monsters?" she whispered to herself.

            "What did you say, Téa?"

            "Oh…uh…I said… what a breeze it is for you to relate everything to Duel Monsters."

            "Well, life is like a big game anyway. There are usually three matches in conventional Dueling and three games in life. Health, career, and love." Téa rolled her eyes again. "That's why it is so easy to relate."

            "I see…" Téa muttered, trying to sound sympathetic… without the accent on _pathetic_.

            "Anyway," Yami said, straightening up. He set one hand on top of Téa's, and she had to do everything to keep from squealing in delight. "Maybe we should get back to the Dueling. It seems all the matches are done. There's only fifteen minutes till eleven. Yugi will be announcing the pairings in two minutes."

            "Yeah, we should go…" Téa said absentmindedly. Even if she did find Yami's constant Duel Monster connections annoying, she liked talking to him. Yami noticed that she didn't say it so surely.

            "Téa, what's wrong?" he asked, raising a hand and turning her head towards him.

            "What? Oh, nothing. I was just… thinking about what you said…"

            "About Duel Monsters?"

            "Yeah… what if your Duel Monsters hate you? If you pick a favorite monster but they don't like you?" Yami chuckled.

            "Téa… you shouldn't start being so nit-picky. Most cases, it does turn out well. Obviously, Lumina was not my favorite… but I'll find someone. After all, I did eventually find Dark Magician as my favorite card. He's strong and wise. I would like to be him. What's your favorite?"

            "I don't really have one, but I think the Dark Magician Girl is cool. After all, I really want to be her. She and Dark Magician go so well together." Téa bit her lip. She had basically just told Yami she liked him in a Duel-Monster-connected way. Too bad Yami didn't notice.

            "I agree. Well, we should head in." Téa, normally, would have been relieved her secret was safe. But she had started to get a little annoyed with the Duel Monster connections and the cluelessness.

            "Go ahead," she snapped sarcastically. "Be as clueless as you always are." Yami turned to her in surprise. Téa was not the type to be so harsh.

            "What makes you think that?" he asked. "After all, all I said was that I agreed to you saying the Dark Magician and the Dark Magician Girl go so well together after you said you wanted to be… oh… I think I get… you don't mean …" Yami's eyes widened with surprise.

………

            "I swear I hear my name!" Svrion suddenly called. Joey, Ian, Tristan, Duke, Mai, Serenity, DMG, Hufanse, and Aundren looked at him.

            "You sure?" Aundren asked. Hufanse smiled and jokingly patted Svrion on the back.

            "Are you sure you're just not dreaming about Cyrrielle calling you?" he joked. DMG scowled at him.

            "No. It sounded far off… and it was a man's voice." Hufanse's smile faded.

            "A man? You're… not… um… you… aren't…"

            "NO! Wait… aren't what? What are you implying Hufanse!!" Svrion glared at him.

            "Wait!" DMG suddenly exclaimed. "I hear my name too. It's a girl saying it!"

            "Now a girl is saying my name!" Svrion announced. Everyone looked at him.

            "Are you guys telepathic or something?" Mai asked. "How can you guys hear something that we can't?" Svrion and DMG shrugged. "Well, anyway, Yugi is getting ready to announce the pairings. Shizuka, let's go. I wonder where Téa went…" Mai walked off and Serenity followed close behind.

            _I wonder what's with DMG and Dark Magician. They're acting weird. And what Mai said… where is Téa? All I remember is that she suddenly had to run off!_ Serenity looked around for Téa. She glanced out into the balcony and saw Téa with Yami. Or at least, she thought it was them. They were sideways, looking at each other, and Yami's hair stood out sharply. Suddenly, Yami leaned over and kissed Téa.

            _WHAT?? _Serenity mentally cried. _The world is crazy! What the…Lumina will be so angry…! Téa!! What did you do to Yami's head?_ Serenity was confused. She didn't even watch where she was backing up to until he bumped into a certain tall person.

            "S…sor…sorry!" she stuttered, turning around. She gasped. Seto stood there, smiling a smile that – to Serenity's horror – was not forced nor anywhere near a smirk.

            _What is with him? He always smiles at me… Shizuka that is! Why? He's never smiled to the real me. He's always smirked. Smirked…how evil. Now, he's **smiling?** Why? Why is Shizuka so special? Does he really like her enough to smile at her? His sign of affection? Then… maybe his smirk is a sign of affection too. Argh! I don't get it!_

            "I asked you that three times!" Serenity finally zoned back in to find Seto but an inch from her face. "Are you sure you're okay? I asked you whether you find this Tournament challenging." Seto narrowed his eyes. "I can't see that well… but you look strangely familiar. Seto made a move to lift Serenity's veil. Serenity froze right where she was. She had a bunch of questions with answers she didn't like floating in her head. To add to that, Seto was an inch from her reaching for her veil and she was in a mental straightjacket.

………

            "Do you really mean what you said, Téa?" Yami asked, coming a little closer. "Do you really… like me… that much?" Téa opened her mouth and closed it. She thought for a moment and composed herself. She didn't want to do anything embarrassing.

            "Um…sure…well…you see………yes…" Téa could feel herself blushing _very, very_ red. Yami broke into a grin.

            "I would have never have had enough courage to admit that. That's why I do better in regular Dueling." Téa couldn't tell if Yami was just toying with her or if he was trying to make her feel more relaxed. Téa didn't like silence.

            "Well… I just thought I'd say that. There's no point in keeping everything to yourself. Of course, I didn't imagine that you would ever be so dense and clueless at the same time. I always liked you and thought you were…" Téa didn't get a chance to say anymore. Yami slid a hand behind her neck and pulled her forward for a kiss. Téa was really surprised, but she enjoyed it nonetheless. When they finally broke apart, Téa blushed all over again.

            "Yugi's announcing the pairings!" she said quickly before rushing of. Yami slid his hands into his pockets and looked after her with a smile.

………

            Serenity didn't know what happened, but one second she was an inch from Seto and the next she was three feet away.

            "No!" she said. "Too close! Way too close! Don't ever do that again! And you don't touch my veil! There is a reason I'm wearing it, you know!" Seto backed a few steps away with a chuckle, hands up in the air.

            "Hey! Wow! I knew you couldn't be all that quiet. Quite snappy, aren't you?" Serenity was blushing inside her veil and she could feel it. Suddenly, Yugi's voice called everyone's attention. In the one moment Seto used to turn around, Serenity rushed away. She didn't look back until she was clear on the other side of the ballroom. Seto was still in the same spot, shaking his head as he looked after her. Serenity sighed with relief. She could feel her cheeks getting hotter. That was like a near-death experience to her.

            _Oh help! I can't believe it! Seto is way too interested in me! Why am I the only one wearing a veil? Why can't some other girl also wear one and Duel well at the same time. Maybe then, he might not look at me. Why am I always the one to run into him? If I ever end up marrying him … I don't know what I'd do with myself._

            "…will face Shizuka Jounouchi. Lastly, Molly Jones will face Prince Seto. The Duels will start in two minutes!" Serenity nearly bumped into a squealing girl. Of course, the girls facing Seto were always next to her. This time, Serenity was glad she was not paired with him or she wouldn't be able to face him. Unfortunately, she had been in a mental thunderstorm and hadn't listened to the name of her partner. 

            "Shizuka! I face you!" Serenity whipped around to see Téa run up to her. _Téa? I face Téa? This is so cool! I have always wanted to whip her friendly ass…I mean, beat her in a Duel. Come on, you're Shizuka, be proper._

            "Oh really? Why, I believe this is going to be quite an interesting match. Though, I would very much hate having to beat you." If Serenity had thickened her accent too much to make up for her late reply and constant "Serenity" thoughts, Téa didn't notice.

            "You're more likely to hate having to loose to me. Come on; let's go in the corner with everybody else. Mai and I can Duel side by side." Serenity nodded, though inside she hated everybody else. Too much distraction. Luckily, the last Duel didn't take two much energy, but Serenity was still afraid the four cookies she consumed was not going to last her much longer. If she didn't get an easy Duel now, she was doomed. Her energy would be extinguished long before facing Seto.

            _Come on, Seren. Hang on for one hour and ten minutes. Then, it will be twelve and the tournament will end. Wait… DMG told me to leave at twelve. Why? I still don't get that? I have to go ask her whenever I can._ Serenity zoned back in and found that Téa had already run over to Mai and Yami and were talking to them worriedly about something. With a shake of her head, Serenity went to talk to DMG. _I also have to figure out a plan on how I am going to weed out of marrying Seto when I beat him._

………

            "Mai! I face Shiz!" Téa announced. She ran over to Mai.

            "Great! Now kick her out of the tournament!" Yami also came over to join the two sisters.

            "I wish you luck on your next Duel, Téa," he said. Téa blushed a tiny bit. Mai was confused. Behind Yami's back, she pointed between Téa and Yami then joined her fingers together. Téa nodded. Mai raised her eyebrows. Téa copied.

            "What's wrong, Téa?" Yami asked. Téa shook her head.

            "Oh… I thought I saw something in the corner…" Téa trailed off as Mai silently laughed behind Yami. Téa scowled.

            "Are you okay?"

            "Huh? Oh don't worry, Yami, I'm fine. I was just… practicing my Dueling face. I haven't found one yet." Yami shrugged.

            "Anyway…like I said, good luck. Whatever happens, never give up. Always have hope. The heart of the cards will guide you."

            "Of course. After all, I'm not like going to surrender like Lumina for frivolous… not really frivolous, I mean, but… the point is. I will Duel till the end!"

            "You better not drop out." Yami kissed Téa's cheek before heading off to his brother. Mai came forward.

            "You must've poisoned Yami's mind, if he forgot about Lumina that fast."

            "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do." Mai dropped her jaw.

            "You got that from me, didn't you?"

            "Manipulating people and their words to your benefit, especially when it comes to fame, money, or love? Yeah."

            "No, the phrase."

            "Oh yeah… well, I've gotta Duel. There's no way I'll ever get to Duel Seto and marry…" She trailed off as the two girls looked at each other in horror. Then, they let out simultaneous, and quite loud, gasps.

            "Duelists!" came Yugi's voice. "Your Duels will start in thirty seconds. Please shuffle your Decks and get ready." Téa grabbed Mai's arms worriedly.

            "OH NO! I can't marry Seto! I'm in the same position as Lumina! And I promised Yami I wouldn't surrender or anything for _any reason_!"

            "Then fake it!"

            "Fake what?"

            "Lose… on purpose!"

            "I can't do that. Yami will catch on-,"

            "You've got no other choice!" Mai rushed off to face her opponent near the opposite side of the short wall. Téa found all the rest of the gang near wall, right in front of two gaping windows showing the starry night sky. Serenity was standing there too, shuffling her Deck. Téa stood in front of her, in a position that she could clearly see Mai on the opposite side and Mai could see her. Mai gave her thumbs up. Téa gulped and shuffled her Deck.

            "Great!" she muttered under her breath. "I have to Duel and purposely lose." Téa looked up at Serenity, who slid her Deck into the card recognizer and drew five cards. Téa did the same.

            "Go Téa! Go Shizuka!" the cheering squad yelled. Yami winked at Téa, and she smiled back nervously. She turned back to Serenity.

            "Let's Duel!"

………

            Serenity waited for her opponent, Téa, to make her first move. She had seen Téa Duel a lot, even with her new Earth monsters. Téa's strategy was a more defensive one. Serenity knew with the three high-level monsters she had, she could easily defeat Téa. Just then, Téa made her first move.

            "I draw… and I play Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode." A giant rock warrior appeared on the field, crouching on the painted floor. _It's humongous, and I was right. Téa is going for the defensive. I have to get enough monsters on the field so I can sacrifice for a high-level monster._ Serenity looked up. Téa seemed to be mouthing something and rolling her eyes. _Now that was weird. I guess it's my turn then._

            "I'll draw and copycat. I play Shadowed Defense () in Defense Mode. End of my turn." A blue-haired enchantress in long emerald robes rose out of the card and crouched down with one arm on the ground and the other propped up on one knee. Behind her rose a translucent wall of black shadow.

            "My turn!" Téa declared, and she drew a card.

………

            Téa studied the newest card in her hand. She looked up at Mai. A glare was sent back to her. It wasn't the first time. Mai had given Téa a loathing look when she put her Giant Soldier in defense. And obviously Mai hadn't understood Téa's silent sorry.

            "Um… I switch my Soldier to attack mode." Téa flipped her card and glanced up at Mai with her head cocked to the side. Mai nodded her head in approval.

            "Good…" Téa whispered. "Her Majesty is satisfied." Téa dropped her arm to the side to signal the end of her turn. She could feel her opponent's suspicious look fall upon her. Even the audience members seemed a bit baffled. Téa didn't have much choice anyway. At the end, they will know she had lost on purpose. But perhaps… Yami will like her more. After all, she had honored his promise and still managed to be off the hook.

………

            Serenity gave Téa a very apprehensive look. Even if Téa couldn't see it. After all, until that point, Téa had only put really high attack monsters in attack mode. Serenity had never seen this strategy.  

            _This is strange. That's not like Téa at all! Of course, Shizuka wouldn't know that. She'll go on assuming it's all part of a plan. But I've got an advantage. Still, I wonder what she is planning. I'll be ready for it._

            Serenity drew a card. With a click of her tongue, she scanned her cards. So far, she didn't know what Téa was up to so she couldn't jump to conclusions. But, she wanted to keep at least once defense. And perhaps she could risk attacking and reveal Téa's plan.

            "I play Flirting Fairy (). And… I attack!" Serenity braced for the worst as her Fairy spread her silver powder on the now standing Soldier. The Stone statue was destroyed. Téa's LP dropped to 2900. _A small setback, and I bet Téa knows it. She's planning something, I **know** she is!_

            Téa calmly looked at her destroyed monster and slipped the card into the Graveyard. She could hear the others whispering from the sidelines.

            "What's going on?" came DMG's voice.

            "Don't worry," assured Yami's. "Téa knows what she is doing." Serenity could hear the whispers as well. She bit her lip. Of course, Téa was a pretty good Duelist. She would be planning something.

            Unknown to her, Téa's only plan was not what she expected: LOSE! Téa's easiest way of losing was to do exactly what was opposite to her own strategy. If she put everything she had in attack mode, she would lose for sure. After all, most of her monsters had way more Defense points than Attack.

            "Okay," Téa announced. "I play Grave Knight () in attack mode and end my turn." Serenity's eyes widened as a gray-clad soldier appeared on the field. _Another one? In attack mode? Is she crazy? Or is she planning something? Maybe she wants me to destroy her monsters. Oh great, all this thinking is making me hungry. I can only do one thing._

            "I draw and attack your Grave Knight with my Fairy!" The Fairy threw her silver, sparkling powder, and the Knight grimaced in agony before disappearing from the field. Téa slid the card into her Graveyard, trying not to look at her 1700 LP. Serenity was looking at her with narrowed eyes.

            "My turn, I guess," Téa said. Serenity couldn't tell much from her expression. _She looks like she's doing the hardest thing she's ever done. Strange, maybe this strategy is also new to her. But still…it's newer yet to me._ "I play Attack Soldier ()… in attack mode, of course. End turn!"

            Serenity gaped at her again. This was the third time. Was there some trap card on the field that Serenity didn't notice? Whatever the reason, it was freaking out poor, hungry Serenity. She nervously drew a card and ordered her Fairy to attack. With the same sparkling powder, the Soldier was defeated and Téa went down to 1300 LP.

            "My turn," Téa said while drawing a card, "and it is time to finish the Duel." Serenity panicked. _I knew it! I fell into her trap! Great! Just great! I should have known she'd pull something. Now she can probably take all the damages of the monsters in the graveyard and do something! I'm doomed!_

            "I play Brother's Shield () in attack mode." Téa dropped her hand to her side. Serenity's jaw dropped. Again? The Shield monster had zero attack points. Téa was going to lose! Serenity knew it was risky to attack, but she couldn't risk losing the chance to win. Serenity looked at the time. It was roughly five after eleven. She was getting sleepy and really hungry.

            "Okay… Téa. I'll draw and attack!" The Fairy threw the powder and the Shield crumbled underneath it. Téa's LP dropped to 0. Serenity was shocked. How could Téa have lost so easily? Serenity heard a tiny click as a compartment opened, revealing a brown stone.

            _I have five! I can't imagine! One more round!_ Serenity looked around. Only Mai's Duel was still going on. Seto and another brown-haired girl were standing to watch the final Duel of the round. Seto waved to Serenity, and made her blush something crazy.

            _Four more people! I have to be able to face Seto now! After all, I've come this far, and I have very, very little energy left. _


	14. Round Six Wind

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Understand? I also don't own Belial, Aniron, and Rowen. They belong to ValarSpawn.

CHAPTER 14: Round Six [Wind]

            Five minutes later, the Duel finished. Mai had won. Serenity wasn't surprised. Her stepsister, Mai, was a great Duelist. Serenity absentmindedly ran a finger over the five stones on her glove. Red, blue, black, white, and brown jewels glimmered back at her, shining from the chandelier lights. Serenity was hungry, tired, and running out of patience. She needed to Duel and fast.

            Only four Duelists remained. One was obviously Serenity, pretending to be Shizuka for Mai, Téa, Seto, and everybody else but Joey, Ian, Tristan, and Duke, for whom she was pretending to be Serenity pretending to be Shizuka all over again. Another was Mai, who was a worthy opponent and really determined to face Seto. The third was Seto, of course, and he was winning real easily so far. A hungry and tired Duelist like Serenity could never even put a dent in his LP by the way he was Dueling, expertly and ruthlessly as always. The last was a friendly raven-haired girl named Ishizu Ishtar.

            Within a minute of the end of Mai's Duel, the four Duelists left formed a semicircle around Yugi as he prepared to announce the pairings. The other defeated Duelists, and audience members – who mostly were Serenity's cheerleading squad – lined up around the edge of the ballroom. Yet, the room was big enough that the Dragons painted on the floor did not get covered even with the tremendous load of people.

            "Okay," Yugi said, clearing his throat. "Only four Duelists remain. If any of you cannot see the clock right now, it is ten past eleven. The next Duel will start in exactly five minutes. The pairings are as follows. Mai Kaiba will face…" Serenity held her breath. _Say Ishizu, say Ishizu. I wanna face Seto now!_ "…Shizuka Jounouchi. Ishizu Ishtar will face Seto." Serenity cringed for the squeal that was most likely to follow the name of Seto's opponent. It never came. Instead, Ishizu turned to Seto with a big smile and held out her hand.

            "Looks like I'm Dueling you!" she exclaimed. _Wow, Ishizu seems really calm and positive. She probably had a big dinner. Oh! Serenity! Don't think about food!_ Serenity turned and smiled at Mai, though she knew that Mai couldn't see it. Serenity was used to that by now. But somehow, she found that Mai or anybody else could always tell she was smiling. Hopefully they couldn't tell who she was.

            Mai seemed a little distressed. Serenity figured she was probably just as impatient as her. It was obvious now. Two Duels left… it was almost certain that Seto would win. It all came down to the outcome of Serenity's Duel. Would she win?

            "Let's go over to the others to begin our Duel," Mai suggested. Serenity followed her. They went over to the portion of the wall reserved for their supporters. DMG, Svrion, Hufanse, Aundren, Téa, Yami, Joey, Ian, Duke, and Tristan waved. The two girls waved back before standing opposite to each other.

………

            "This must be putting a lot of pressure on our dear little Serenity!" whispered DMG to the other three Duel Monsters.

            "Definitely," Hufanse agreed. "Man, this is gonna be a toughie."

            "But we must admit that she has quite a bit of potential. I wouldn't be surprised if she went all the way to the top," Aundren said.

            "That would be near impossible, if not totally improbable and implausible," Svrion said. "We watched Seto Duel quite a few times. You guys saw how he vanquished his opponents. Plus, we're talking about _girls _here!" DMG shot him a dangerous look.

            "What is _that_ supposed to mean?" she demanded. "Are you saying that…"

            "No!" Svrion protested. "I'm not saying that girls don't have a chance against him. I'm saying that he played so brutally that he didn't even have the decency to spare a girl Duelist." Svrion's comeback wasn't all that great. DMG only glared at him harder.

            "Are you suggesting that us girls need to be **_spared? Spared? What do you think? We can't fend for ourselves? Huh? Huh?"_**

            "Okay, Cy, you can stop yelling now," Hufanse butted in. "Don't hate Svrion for this. All people say weird things, however true-,"

            "**_You think that statement is true?_**"

            "I'm not done! I said, people say weird things, however true _or untrue they are_. Besides, he has a crush on you. Bad idea to hate people who like you, even if there are others who like you." DMG sighed, and Svrion sent a death glare to Hufanse, who shut up and decided to let Aundren do any future reasoning.

            "Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. Seto wasn't the kind of Duelists to spare anyone. And now, he is going to be up against Serenity, who, you say, is already frustrated with a myriad of things and probably is barely going to be able to defeat Mai. What I'm saying is, chances aren't too great. Especially with the fact that Seto is an excellent Duelist. You should know that, Hufanse, you are in his Deck." Hufanse nodded.

            "Let's think about something else," DMG said. "How about we just focus on our side of Dueling field. We have problems of our own. The four of us are the only ones that know Serenity's real identity. Joey, Ian, Duke, and Tristan think they do, and they do, but Mai and Téa think they don't because they think Serenity is Shizuka. And Yami… he is pretending to be on everyone's side, but is truly on ours. So now, that we got that settled, let's just be glad we don't have any more people to mislead."

            "You're right," Aundren said quietly. "It's already a mess. Imagine if we had a few more people."

            "Yeah," Hufanse agreed. "Even, let's say, three more people would be beyond imagining." The three of them turned to Svrion, since he was the only one that didn't comment. He was staring with a horrified expression at the doorway opposite to them.

            "Hufanse… I wouldn't count on _beyond imagining_ if I were you," he said. The other three turned and gasped.

………

            It was soon exactly fifteen past eleven on the dot. The two Duels began. Serenity drew five cards and arranged them, trying to think of a preliminary strategy. Hunger tore at her stomach and sleepiness was starting to pull down her eyes. Serenity was on the verge of yawning. Trying not to lose her focus, she alternately tapped her foot as she waited for Mai to get started. While waiting, she glared jealously over at Ishizu who was standing in the same position as Mai, only twice as far back. Luckily, Seto had his back to Serenity. This was also lucky for Mai, who got to stand virtually on his heels. She was trying to, anyway. Seto kept moving around to avoid her "accidental" foot misplacement. She was wearing heels, and that was not something he wanted to be stepped on by.

            "I'll go first," Mai announced, drawing a card with an exaggerated flick of her manicured hand. "I play my favorite Harpie Lady in attack mode, and a face down card behind it." Mai placed the two cards on the field and rested her free hand on her hip. With the other, the hand holding four cards of her Hand, she triumphantly flicked her blonde hair behind her. A smirk played around her lips. Serenity raised her eyebrows and drew a card.

            _She has something planned. _Serenity didn't need to think any more. It was obvious that Mai had something up her silver netting sleeves. She always did. Whether it was money, makeup, boyfriends, or simple Dueling strategy, Mai was a mastermind at secret plans.

            _If there was one thing I learned when watching her Duel, it is that her opening moves are deadly, but the rest of her Duel is basically one Harpie after another. Still, I am too tired to think of a strategy. I think the best thing to do right now is to uncover her opening move. _Serenity shrugged. It was her best hope. Even if she was falling into a trap, she would still figure out what it is and then she would be mainly home free for the rest of the Duel.

            Serenity looked down at her cards and selected the one that had to most attack points. The Spellcaster she chose had more than enough attack points to destroy Harpie Lady. Taking it from her Hand, she slapped it onto an empty space of her Duel Disk.

            "I summon Moonshine Precious Star () to the field in attack mode. Attack and destroy Harpie Lady!" Mai clicked her tongue in disapproval as the white-robed enchantress gathered a glowing silver orb in her hand.

            "Nice try, Sweetie Pie," Mai declared, pushing a button on her Duel Disk. The face down Trap card rose up to reveal what looked like a wall of sparkling glass.

            _Mirror Wall! I should have known! Téa always hated when that card was played against her._ Serenity watched as the orb from Moonshine Precious Star hit the rising wall of glass, reflecting back and hitting the female monster right in the stomach. The monster kneeled on the floor, trembling. Serenity looked down at her Duel Disk and found that the monster's attack points had been cut in half, to eight hundred.

            "Like to do anything else, hon?" Mai asked. Serenity shook her head. Since she had summoned the monster in that turn, she couldn't switch its battle position. Serenity hoped that Mai didn't put a high level monster on the field to attack with. Mai grinned as she drew a card from her Deck and placed it in her Hand.

            "I'll use this later," she commented. "Because for this turn, I think I shall just attack with Harpie Lady and remove your Moonshine gal from the field." Mai did as she said. Soon, the white-robed Spellcaster was sent to the Graveyard and Serenity's LP went down to 2500. _Not bad. As I suspected, Mai's not really playing too hard. She usually goes for her opening attack to start the Duel off on her favor. She is still pretty good so I better watch my back._ Serenity drew a card when Mai acknowledged the end of her turn.

            _Okay, this card is no use to me now. I'll look to my Hand. I think I'll place a monster in Defense, since there is no point in attacking. If I have a strong enough card, then Mai won't be able to clear my field. _Serenity yawned and selected a card, placing it in Defense mode on the field. The card was relatively strong. It was called Mystic Rainbow () with 1600 attack and defense. Serenity dropped her hand to her side and Mai drew.

            "Okay now," Mai whispered quietly. "I know by now someone as smart as her would try to look for a way to destroy my trap or find some other way to destroy my LP. If I bet that she placed a high defense monster so I would lose LP if I attacked. If she did, that would be a smart move. Until I know what it is though, I shouldn't do anything too drastic." Mai selected a card from her Hand and placed it on the field.

            "I don't know what you're plannin', hon, but it's not going to be there much longer!"

………

            "What are _they _doing here?" DMG queried urgently. She eyed the three new Duel Monsters as they approached.

            "Hello Cyrrielle," one of the two females greeted. She was light skinned and pretty, with long purple hair. The other female looked almost exactly like her.

            "Hello Aniron," DMG replied, saying it very reluctantly.

            "That's funny," the other female said. "Look at that Duel."

            "What's funny about it, Rowen?" the third Duel Monster queried, a boy that looked like Svrion, except with darker clothes and messier hair. "All I see is a Harpie Lady on the field. Not that bad. After all, there are five Harpies in my neighborhood, and one of them has a brother."

            "No, not the Duel itself, Belial, but the Duelist. She's wearing a veil, but I feel like I recognize her." The two females shrugged and Belial sighed.

            "Okay, anyway," DMG continued. "What are you guys doing here?"

            "We were kind of bored," Rowen answered. "We figured out where you were and decided to tag along. I know we're not really allowed to leave our Realm in case anyone wants to use us in a Duel, but still…"

            "Besides," Belial added, putting an arm around Svrion's shoulders and shaking him gently, "why would I miss a chance to tease my buddy about you-know-who?"

            "She already knows," Svrion said flatly. Belial took his arm away in surprise.

            "Did you finally muster up the guts to tell her?" he asked.

            "No," Hufanse interrupted. "I blabbed." Belial chucked as he gave Hufanse a high-five.

            "Way ta' go, man!" Belial and Hufanse burst into a tiny fit of laughter. The three girls sighed simultaneously.

            "Men!"

            "Women!"

            "Men!"

            "Women!"

            "Men!"

            "Women!"

            "Men!"

            "Women!"

            "Me-," DMG stopped. She turned to Aniron and Rowen, who had stopped arguing. So had Hufanse and Belial. It was just Svrion and her.

            "Oh, oops!" DMG smiled foolishly. "Looks like I must've gotten carried away! Oh my gosh! Rowen! Aniron! I just remembered! Do you know what Svrion said today?" DMG told the other two girls all about the earlier conversation as the four boys shook their heads. After a minute, the two warrior girls snapped around and glared at Svrion.

            "You think we're that weak?" they demanded. For a moment, a spark flew between them and Svrion, who was glaring back to avoid being beaten. Hufanse, Aundren, and Belial eyed the two sides.

            "You know…" Aundren said after a few minutes, stepping between the two sides. "Cy, you should concentrate more on enlightening them on our precarious _situation_."

            "Oh right!" DMG exclaimed. "The whole Serenity-Shizuka thing. I know…"

            "Serenity-Shizuka thing?" Rowen inquired.

            "Serenity? Isn't that the girl with the Cosmo Queen card?"

            "Yeah… remember! At the Game Shop!" DMG glanced at the two of them.

            "You guys know Serenity?" she asked.

            "If you mean Serenity Kaiba, yes we do. She's Dueled against us plenty of times."

            "She was quite pathetic until she drew Cosmo Queen."

            "Yeah, her strongest card." DMG nodded.

            "Right! Anyways, you guys are probably going to think I'm crazy, but just listen to what I am saying and follow my instructions. You see that veiled girl?" DMG pointed so that the three Duel Monsters could see clearly. "Well, that's Serenity. She's going under a different name so she won't be recognized. So right now, a few people think she is Shizuka. A few people think she is Shizuka pretending to be Serenity. A few people think she is Shizuka pretending to be Serenity pretending to be Shizuka. Only me, Svrion, Aundren, and Hufanse know that she is really Serenity pretending to be Shizuka pretending to be Serenity pretending to be Shizuka. So, pretend she is Shizuka." Belial opened his mouth and closed it again, clearly confused. The other two shrugged and dismissed all but the last sentence from their heads.

            "Good!"

………

            Serenity yawned. She wasn't exactly sure what Mai had in mind, but she was way too sleepy to care too much. She reasoned she would take a break in this Duel and concentrate on the next. Of course, being tired made her forget that she had to concentrate harder to win _to ever get to_ the next Duel. Of course, her brain was half shut down. She usually went to bed at around eight so she could wake up earlier. Now it was way past three hours after that and Serenity hadn't even had dinner to give her the extra boost to stay awake. Her attention span was decreasing rapidly.

            "As I said, gal, your LP is going down! I play Harpie's Brother next to my existing Harpie! And with him, I shall attack your face down monster." Serenity scrunched her eyes to try to remember her face down monster, but a claw from Harpie's Brother destroyed it almost immediately. "Now, Harpie, attack her LP!" Serenity's eyes widened as the Harpie came in for an attack. Serenity screamed as she was hit. Tiny sparks seared her skin.

            _Great! This is all Joey's fault! He's the one five years ago that urged Stepfather to make the pain real with the electrical charges that one summer. _Serenity winced and rubbed her arm that she had used to block her face. Her LP dropped to 1200. It was not a good spot for her to be in.

            "I end my turn!" Mai declared. Her two Harpies landed on her side of the field and dropped their wings to their sides. Mai glanced at her opponent. From the looks of it, she was still in pain from the attack. She wasn't the only one suffering; the onlookers also seemed to feel every scratch Serenity had received. Especially Joey.

            Serenity drew a card and grinned. She had drawn the Dark Magician Girl. This would be perfect! This was exactly the card she needed to turn the Duel around, since it had just been switched to Mai's favor. _If I use this with the card I drew earlier, I can dent Mai's LP a little. Then I'll come down harder! Well, I'll have to destroy that Mirror Wall first. _Serenity looked over at DMG with a smile. It faded a little when she saw the three new cheerleaders.

            _Commencement Dance? Performance of Sword? Aren't those the two Mr. Motou used to teach me about Ritual Monsters? Yeah, I remember. I obliterated them with Cosmo Queen. That's why Mr. Motou let me keep the Queen. I don't know who the last one is, though. Maybe DMG's boyfriend or something… no, that would be Dark Magician. He looks a lot like him though, with messier hair. He's pretty cute! _Serenity shrugged off the thought and selected a Magic card from her hand.

            "I activate Soul Stealer () and take your Harpie Lady!"

            "Oh no," Mai moaned. "Not Soul Stealer. That card let's you take your opponent's weakest monster and sacrifice it to bring out a five- or six-star monster."

            "That's right, Mai!" Serenity said triumphantly. "That means your Harpie Lady. And guess what? I'm using it to summon Dark Magician Girl to the field!" Serenity took her Monster card from her hand and placed it on the field. Harpie Lady shrieked and vanished. The card hologram appeared and a lot of white clouds floated out from it. The clouds slowly disappeared. Lo! No monster appeared. Instead, the card trembled a few times. Electric static slowly blurred its image before it finally vanished. Serenity's mouth dropped open in shock.

………

            "What happened?" DMG cried out, nearly stomping out into the middle of the Duel. Luckily, Svrion caught her wrist and pulled her back.

            "Hush!" Aniron said. She pulled the other Duel Monsters to the side. "Remember! Cy is here! She can't be summoned unless she's in our Realm. Each card has a specific monster and only that Monster can be summoned, and that only if she or he is in the Realm. Cy! You have to go back!"

            "It's too late," Rowen informed. "Serenity's summoning failed. If she is smart, she'd know that this summoning was only a Special and that she can still conduct a Normal summoning to protect her LP."

            "Aniron, Rowen…" DMG said. "Serenity only learned Duel Monsters two weeks ago. Plus, I can sense she is tired, hungry, and in minor pain. This is her first night in a real Duel. Would that small rule really occur to her?"

            "Depends," Belial said. "How much does she _really_ want to win?"

            "**A LOT!**"

            "She'll remember! Trust me!" The seven Duel Monsters looked back on the Duel Serenity just stood there shocked. Slowly, her head turned and she glanced at DMG. At that instant, she knew what had happened. She was too surprised to really accept it. Her plan had failed. Serenity submerged herself in thought on a new strategy and allowed Mai to begin her turn. Mai laughed loudly.

            "What?" Serenity asked, her voice sounding in a trance from her hunger, tiredness, pain, confusion, and maybe a bit of fear. Her British accent faded.

            "What a fool, Shizuka!" Mai responded. "Don't you know? You conducted a Special summon! You could have Normal summoned to protect your LP. Right now nothing is…" Serenity's hand flew to her mouth.

            "I forgot!" she cried. No British accent here. She sounded a lot like plain old Serenity, a tired, overworked, hungry girl trying to Duel in a competition made for the best while trying to be a million people at once. Mai started to notice that. Meanwhile, DMG gave Belial a very scathing _And you said what…? _look. Belial bit his tongue.

            "I would have expected better!" Mai said, pressing her lips together in a disapproving matter. "Of course, normally I would let you have a free turn because I am so generous. Unfortunately, I want to Duel Seto. So, another Direct Attack, my dear Harpie's Brother! Attack and destroy Shizuka's LP!" Serenity panicked. She had come all the way to the sixth round and she was going to lose! She had no Trap cards on the field to activate, and no Quick-Play magic to activate.

………

            _It's times like this I would like to have a Kuriboh. Well, I tried my best, but it was never meant to be!_ Serenity felt like crying as the Harpie's Brother advanced on her 1200 LP. She took one last look at the cards in her Hand to try to find any last minute hope. As she glossed over her few cards, one card portraying a woman holding a star caught her eye.

            _Setsuna…_

            A smile spread over Serenity's face. Just as Harpie's Brother revealed his claws, Serenity slapped the card onto the field.

            "Wait! I activate Setsuna's () special ability!" Serenity announced. Her female Monster appeared on the field, spring colored robes and ribbons floating around her. A white star glowed in her hands, lighting up her dark black hair that floated around her face. In a bright flash, the star broke into small pieces. The force sent Harpie's Brother toppling backwards onto the ground. With a content smile, Setsuna disappeared.

            "What was that?" Mai asked.

            "The card is called Setsuna. It's somewhat like a Kuriboh. When I offered it from my hand along with half of my LP-," Serenity acknowledged her 600 LP on the Duel Disk, "-I can stop all attacks against my Life Points." The Duel Monster cheerleaders cried out in excitement, while Mai looked at her bitterly.

            "Okay, so _maybe_ you stopped that _one_ attack," she said. "But I will win, just you wait. I still have my entire LP, a monster with 1800 attack power, and you have none, with barely 600 LP. The Duel is surely in my favor, hon." Serenity smirked. She didn't know how, but winning that last exchange gave her a burst of energy. She was sure she could at least finish this Duel.

            "My turn," Serenity declared, drawing a card. _Good, a powerful monster. Now, I need a way to attack Mai without running into her Mirror Wall. _Serenity looked at her hand. She noticed a trap card she hadn't seen before, possibly due to her sleepiness. _I can use this next turn, then she shall be sorry. But…first I have to set it on the field._

            "Okay," Serenity finally said. "I play Princess of the Underworld () in attack mode and place one card face down. That's it for now." Mai drew a card and sighed. She eyed Serenity's face down card.

            "Again," she thought, "Shizuka is planning something. I am not sure, but she wouldn't be so enthusiastic if she weren't. I don't think attacking would be the best choice right now, even if I could. That Princess has 1900 attack points. The only thing keepin' Shiz back is that Mirror Wall." Mai looked over at her hand. Besides one Harpie Lady, the cards in her hand were all traps and would be of no use for this particular situation she was in.

            "I think I'll pass, hon," Mai concluded. Serenity drew a card. It was a trap card, Attack vs. Defense (). _This will come in handy later; I better play it face down for right now._ Serenity set it down on the field next to her other card, which she activated.

            "Bye-bye to your Mirror Wall, Mai. I activate Stop Trap ()! You know what this does…" Mai's Mirror Wall briefly appeared on the field. Immediately, it shattered into a million pieces before melting into the floor. Harpie's Brother looked appalled at this move. "And then… my Princess, attack!" The raven-haired witch drew a blackened sword out of thin air. Leaping into the air, she slashed at Harpie's Brother. He disappeared from the field. Mai's LP went down to 2900.

            "Nice try, Sweetie Pie," Mai said, "but I still have way more than you." Serenity shrugged.

            "Not for long," she retorted. After rechecking her two cards on the field and her Hand, Serenity ended her turn. Mai drew a card and sighed.

            "Steel Wing ()," she said quietly, looking at her hand. "This magic card isn't really going to help my Harpie, and none of the other Trap cards are right for this time. I have to protect my Life Points, so I'll just place this card face down on the field." For once, Mai was out of ideas. She placed Harpie Lady in defense mode and ended her turn. Serenity drew a card.

            _All right! Black-Silver Damsel (). I can use her to attack that face down card and then my Princess can go in for the victory._ Serenity played her card.

            "I summon my Black-Silver Damsel to the field! Attack the face down card!" The silver-robed fairy shot an arrow into the middle of the face down card. It disappeared from the field. "Princess! Follow-up with another attack!" Mai grimaced as the Princess slashed through her with a sword. Tiny charges pricked her skin as her LP dropped to exactly 1000. The two monsters on Serenity's side of the field landed softly on the ground. Serenity told Mai to begin her turn.

            While Mai drew her card, Serenity decided to take a moment and watch the other Duel, which was just coming to its conclusion. Seto had out a Blue-Eyes and was about to attack Ishizu's remaining LP since she had no monsters left. Too afraid to receive the attack, Ishizu placed a hand over her Deck to signal that she surrendered. The Duel Monsters disappeared. Serenity took a deep breath. Everything came down to this Duel now.

            Mai mentally noted that Seto had won as she drew a card and smirked. She had the card she needed that would work well with Steel Wing. Harpie's Brother. Her expression made Serenity frown.

            _She's up to something again._ Serenity focused back on this Duel. With five minutes to eleven's half an hour mark, every single person in the entire ballroom was looking at this Duel. Serenity could feel the immense pressure. The end of this Duel would decide who would face Seto, and who might actually be his bride. Of course, since he had defeated all the Duelists before, there was a possibility that Seto might not get a bride tonight. After all, Serenity knew that Mai would even be able to go to the Final round and she herself was trying to get out of marrying him if she won.

            "Okay, Shizuka, let me turn this Duel around again. Remember, you only have 600 LP left and now they are going to go down the drain." Serenity's eyes widened. "I play Harpie's Brother on the field and activate Steel Wing! This card raises my Harpie's attack power to 2160, twenty percent above normal." Serenity gasped. _If Mai attacks Black-Silver Damsel, which she most probably will, I'll have no Life Points left!_ Serenity glanced at the glowing face down card to her right. _Unless…_

            "Attack!!" Steel encased Harpie's Brother's wings as he flew into the air. Serenity pushed a button on her Duel Disk.

            "Not so fast! I activate Attack vs. Defense! This card takes the attack points of your monster and deducts it from your LP. At the same time, it takes the Defense points and deducts it from my LP." Mai gasped as her LP dropped to 0. At the same time, Serenity's LP dropped to 0. The crowd bunched around the Duel gasped. It was a Draw.

            "This is a twist!" Seto remarked. Serenity nearly jumped. It was a long time since she heard his voice. The monsters on the field vanished.

            "What should we do now?" Mai asked. "We can't _both_ Duel Seto." At that time, Pegasus, Cecilia, and Mokuba came forward to see the Duel, standing next to Seto.

            "This is a peculiar situation," Cecilia remarked. "I don't know much about Duel Monsters, but I definitely know this is not a good situation." Mai turned to Pegasus.

            "You created Duel Monsters, your Highness. How would you resolve a tie?" Pegasus thought for a moment.

            "Well… usually it would result in one more match, but we don't have much time. Cecilia keeps bugging me about announcing the engagement at midnight and another match will take too long!" Seto glared at his mother. He didn't like the word engagement.

            "I have an idea!" Mokuba piped up. "How about the two girls each draw one monster card. The one with higher attack points win!" Pegasus looked at Seto who looked at Cecilia who looked at the Duelists who looked at Pegasus. It seemed like a fair thing to them.

            As agreed, Mai and Serenity shuffled their Decks. Mai drew a card first.

            "Behold my Harpie's Pet Dragon with 2000 attack points!" Serenity gulped.

            "This is it," Seto said. "It all comes down to this one final draw. Good luck, Shizuka." Serenity gulped. The eyes of the other 124 participants, Yami, Yugi, DMG, Svrion, Hufanse, Aundren, Belial, Aniron, Rowen, Duke, Tristan, Joey, Ian, Téa, Mai, Pegasus, Cecilia, Mokuba, and Seto were all on her.

            _Everything rides on this draw! I have waited for two whole weeks to battle Seto in this Tournament. This night has been the very first night I have ever Dueled for real in my life. Mr. Motou's training helped me get up here. The only thing standing between Seto and me Dueling is this **one final draw**. No pressure, Serenity. You've **only** overcome five Duels and a whole lot of identity confusion. _Serenity nervously looked around. The whole ballroom was holding its breath. Serenity closed her eyes and placed a finger on her Deck.

            _Mr. Motou told me to trust my Deck. I WILL DUEL SETO!_ With those words echoing through her head, Serenity drew her card………


	15. The Final Duel

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

CHAPTER 15: The Final Duel

            The audience inhaled with anticipation. Serenity held the card down by her side, the picture facing inward. She calmly glanced between Mai, the other audience members, and Seto. It all came down to this.

            "This is it," Serenity announced, and she was surprised that her voice did not waver. "It all rides on this card. Shall I face Seto? Or shall I not?" Serenity, in truth, did not want to know. She didn't want to risk a huge disappointment. _I imagine I would cry if I couldn't face him._

            "Go Shizuka!" yelled Serenity's private cheerleading squad, besides Téa who cheered for Mai. Taking in a deep breath, Serenity slowly brought the card up to her face. With one final glance between Seto and Mai, Serenity focused on the card and gasped. It rang throughout the audience members. Of course, they still didn't know if she won or not, but that soon would all change…

            "OH HELL YES!!" Serenity cried in her moment of un-Shizuka-ness. She doubled up with laughter. It was definitely her day. She even had to fall to her knees to keep from jumping around. Mai didn't take this as a good sign.

            "Oh no…" she moaned.

            "I drew Cosmo Queen!" Serenity declared, holding up the card so all could see it. Serenity's cheerleading squad leaped into the air and cheered, especially the Duel Monsters. Mai and Téa looked full of bitterness. Téa glared at Yami, who was celebrating Serenity's victory. Pegasus, Cecilia, and Mokuba shrugged. It didn't matter to them who married Seto as long as he married. Well, the girl had to be able to rule a kingdom well but…

            "OH HELL YEAH!" Seto's outburst disturbed the three other royals' daydream of the perfect future, Seto and the veiled girl walking arm in arm. The whole ballroom quieted down and looked at him,

            "Sorry…" he apologized. "It was…um… I was just happy that the Duel was over because the wait was despairingly, over-dramatically long." He muttered a curse under his breath. It wasn't like him to shout like that.

            "Great!" he thought. "That girl's cast a spell on me… and a good one too." Seto's eyes widened at his own thought. "Serenity did that too… wait, why am I thinking of her? She's not even here. Besides, it's Shizuka I love… I mean like… I mean… she's a witch."

            Serenity blushed a little at Seto's outburst. She had known for a while that Seto wanted her to battle him. Of course, she knew she wouldn't marry him, but for the moment… she was Shizuka. And Shizuka was allowed to think Seto was attractive… or cute… or hot…

            _Stop putting silly ideas into yourself! Seto doesn't like you…and you don't like him. You can **act** like you do, but don't get your hopes up. The last thing you want to do is marry him. _Serenity noticed that a green stone had propped up from the Duel Disk. She slid it into her glove and admired its beauty.

            _I have all six stones: Red, blue, black, white, brown, and green. The six attributes of Duel Monsters. _Before she could think anymore, her friends surrounded her to congratulate. Even the other participants. It was as if they all thought she had won the Tournament already. After a minute, most retired back to the walls to wait for the next Duel, due to start at exactly five past the half hour mark of eleven. The last ones to gather around Serenity for a final pep talk were the Duel Monsters.

            "That was great!" DMG exclaimed. "Great job! Now go kick Seto's ass… uh, I mean, ass_imilation of monsters_?"

            "Is that the right context of the word?" Hufanse asked.

            "Not unless all his monsters merged into one," Aundren responded.

            "That could be his Blue-Eyes Ultimate-,"

            "Hey!" DMG interrupted. "We're here to help Ser-Shizuka! Okay, here's the thing! Remember the Summoning?"

            "Of course! DMG, why didn't it work?"

            "Because I'm here! Remember, _I am your card._ If I'm not where I'm supposed to be, I can't be summoned. Just for that, Hufanse and I are going to return to our Duel Monster world. Best of luck!" DMG and Hufanse waved and skipped to the exit of the building.

            "Anyways," Aniron said after said after a few seconds. "The name's Aniron, Performance of Sword. This is Rowen, Commencement Dance, and Belial, the Dark Mage Warrior. Anyway, we recognize you from our Duel in the Game Shop."

            "Oh yeah," Serenity said, with a slight wince at the many times she had suffered a defeat at their hands. Still, Mr. Motou wouldn't stop until Serenity managed to defeat them. Eventually, Cosmo Queen did the job.

            "It's seems like your Duel is starting soon," Svrion informed. "We'll be going now." With a slight nod, the Duel Monsters left and Serenity headed to the middle of the ballroom. Before she quite got out of their earshot, she heard a remark from Belial that sounded like "Ohh, Svrion. Are you sad that Cy is gone?" That was shortly followed by a whack and an "Ow! Don't you dare hit me with that staff again!"

………

            "Oh well, Mai, you tried your best!" Téa assured. Mai crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, face contorted in a fury.

            "He was mine!" she yelled, and it was a surprise it did not catch Seto's attention on the other side of the ballroom. "Until Shizuka stole him." Téa opened her mouth and closed it again. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep at night for another week if Mai's temper was at the high it was at now. Yami tried to change the subject to avoid a sister-sister brawl.

            "Téa… about _your_ Duel with Shizuka." Téa gulped and Mai raised her eyebrows at her. "I'm sure that you weren't _trying to_, but it seemed as if you were _trying to_ lose."

            "No! Why would I do that! Well… not that I wanted to win but I didn't. Honestly, Shizuka was a better Duelist, that's all." Yami wasn't convinced.

            "But still… you put all your monsters in attack mode, even the ones meant to Defend. What's going on?" Téa sighed.

            "Alright, alright! I admit it! You see, I didn't want to forfeit because you told me not to and I didn't want to seem a loser like Lumina so I lost on purpose." Tea inhaled and exhaled deeply. It felt good to get that out.

            "You did that for me?" Yami asked, pulled her closer. "That's so sweet!" Yami lowered his hands to her waist and pulled her closer for a kiss…

            "WHOA!" Mai interrupted, walking away. "First make sure your territory is _clear_, thank you very much!" Téa chuckled lightly before leaning in for her kiss.

………

            Serenity stood in the middle of the ballroom, right on the eye of the gigantic Blue-Eyes White Dragon in the center. She took a deep breath. A week ago, she couldn't have imagined herself in this situation. All in a night…

            "Hello!" Serenity fought the urge to scream as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to come face to face with Seto. Or rather… face to chest, since the top of her head was only a tiny bit above his shoulder. She looked up at him.

            "What?" she meant it to sound polite, but it came out as more of a snarl-through-clenched-teeth. Seto tightened his grip on her shoulder.

            "I just came to say good luck," he said simply. He leaned close enough that their noses touched. "Is there something wrong in that?" Serenity shivered. He looked even cuter this close. She probably hadn't noticed the last time because she was worried about getting unmasked, or literally, unveiled. This time, she knew he wouldn't pull off her veil. But, she still noticed that he was inch away from her face. And if someone accidentally bumped into him or knocked him into her… their lips were an inch apart too. The only thing separating was that inch… and the black veil.

            "Good luck to you too…" Serenity replied, a whisper, but she knew he could hear it.

            "How do you talk with that veil on anyway?" he asked. Serenity was getting antsy. She always knew one inch was a short distance, now she knew just _how _short. And she didn't want to be rude and say, _get out of my face_ either. After all, in a way, she liked this. A little…

            "Seto!" Cecilia called. Serenity was relieved when Seto sighed and went to his parents. _I can still feel the warmth of his face near mine… oh, never mind. That's just me blushing like MAD!_

………

            "Well, well," Cecilia cooed. Seto raised his eyebrows as he approached his parents.

            "My son has finally found a girl!" Pegasus remarked. "I knew the day…"

            "I don't know what's you're talking about," Seto interrupted a bit too quickly. He could feel heat slowly, ever so carefully, rising up his cheeks.

            "Oh we know you're in lo-o-ove!" Mokuba said, cracking up after his emphasis on love. Seto rolled his eyes.

            "Oh please, spare me the overreaction. I am not in love with her!"

            "Spare me the denial," Cecilia said. "And prove it. The match starts in a minute. Look me in the eye and tell me you don't love her."

            "I don't."

            "Seto! Look me in the eye, and say _I don't love Shizuka_." Seto faced his mother, looked straight at her eyes.

            "I… don't… love… Sh…Shiz… I don't love Shiz…uka…" Cecilia grinned.

            "I said it!" Seto protested, though he knew he had tripped up on the words for a few time. It was hardly noticeable, really, unless someone was looking for it. And that someone had been with you for twenty years.

            "I don't!" Seto insisted. "I'll prove it again! I'll be mean to her in our Duel!" Seto stomped off. The three royals looked at each other and burst into laughter.

            "Yep," Mokuba concluded. "He loves her alright." Seto looked back at them with a scowl.

            "I don't like her," Seto thought. "And I'm gonna show them by being ruthless when I Duel her."

………

            The Duel started at exactly the time it was supposed to. Supposedly, the royals were very punctual. The ballroom audience had grown by this time. Originally, it had been only the defeated participants and Serenity's own cheerleaders. Now, every other person in Domino had arrived. The crowd was packed. Luckily, the remaining Duel Monsters managed to get front row.

            Serenity wasn't too happy about the crowd. She had enough pressure already. After all, having some Shizuka-Serenity problems was one thing, being sleepy and hungry was another, and the two combined were another thing entirely. And then, there was the immense fear of facing Seto's Blue-Eyes, and the gigantic crowd waiting to watch her win… or lose. More people hoped for a win for her, especially Pegasus, Cecilia, and Mokuba.

            _No pressure…_

            Serenity and Seto each drew five Duels. The crowd cheered as the Duel officially began at the start of the thirty-fifth minute of the eleventh evening hour.

            "I guess I'll go first," Seto declared, drawing another card. He looked at his cards thoughtfully before choosing one. "I'll start off easy and play Battle Ox in attack mode!" An armored monster appeared on the field, threatening flashing his axe at Serenity. She tried not to panic. After all, she had to remind herself she was _Shizuka_, not Serenity. And Shizuka was a quite, shy, and calm girl.

            _Okay, Seto is just toying with me right now. I know that. He would do the same if he knew who I was. Anyway, I must end this quickly. I have to play a strong enough monster to defeat his._ Serenity drew a card and looked at it. It was the perfect card to her current strategy.

            "Princess of the Underworld in attack mode!" The raven-haired witch appeared, creating a sword out of the air. "Attack the Battle Ox!" Seto's monster had less attack points so it was sent to the Graveyard immediately. Seto merely pretended to yawn as his LP went down to 2800. Serenity narrowed her eyes. She expected this response.

            "You are so predictable," Seto remarked. "I've watched you in a few of your Duels. You and your female monsters! Pathetic!" Serenity glared at him. It was times like this she wished she didn't have a veil so she could make her expressions more effective.

            "Are you saying that my monsters are weak? Just because they're female?"

            "And the Duelist…" Seto added. "No girl is going to defeat me in this game. And no girl is going to marry me. I'm fine on my own, thank you very much."

            "That is so not true!" Serenity retorted. _How dare he? Girls are soooooooo not weak. He will pay for saying this…_

            "There must be some reason you based your whole Deck on female monsters…" Seto said. "It's as bad as someone placing their whole Deck in one attribute. Generally, most female Duel Monsters are only good at defending or producing some good effects. A female-based Deck is weak." Serenity placed her hands on her hips.

            "Are you here to preach Dueling strategy or to Duel? Hurry up and do your turn!" Seto smirked.

            "As you wish." Seto drew his cards and looked at his Hand. He nodded approvingly as he placed two cards face down. _I hate it when people do that. Face down cards always make me nervous!_ Seto took another card from his Hand and played it.

            "I play La Jinn, the Mystical Genie of the Lamp in attack mode, and end my turn." Seto eyed his two face down cards. One of them was a card called Virus, a Crush Card. Another was called Flute of Summoning Dragon. When the time was right, Seto would use these cards to annihilate Serenity.

            "Okay," she said, drawing a card. _Those two cards are bothering me, but I don't know what they are so I can't be sure. The only way to know anything is to attack and hope for the best. _

            "Attack!" Serenity commanded. Her Princess twirled her sword through the air and it defeated La Jinn. Seto shrugged as his LP went down to 2700. So far, everything was going well for him.

            "Is that all?" he asked, in a very bored tone.

            "Of course!" Serenity said, trying to sound as if she had something planned. In reality, she had no clue what Seto was up to. All she knew was that she was lucky she didn't activate one of his traps. 

            "My turn," Seto said. His tone was a very dull one, implying that Serenity wasn't putting up much of a challenge. This angered her. He drew a card and placed it on the field.

            "I play fissure and remove that Princess from your field…" Serenity gasped as a big brown rock rose up from the ground and clamped over the Princess of the Underworld before sinking back into the ground. "Then I play Lord of Dragons to attack your Life Points…" The warrior appeared in dark robes. _Hufanse…_The Lord's eyes widened when he saw Serenity. Apparently, even if he was a hologram, he still recognized her.

            "I said attack!" Hufanse didn't move. His eyes shifted to Svrion in the audience, who merely shrugged. "ATTACK!" Hufanse turned back to Serenity, who nodded slightly to approve of the attack. With a reluctant expression, Hufanse raised his hand and sent dark strands of magic toward her. Serenity moaned as sparks danced up her arms. Her LP dropped to 1800. Hufanse winced.

            "That was only a minor setback, nothing bad," Serenity lied to her opponent. Compared to Seto, she was in pretty bad shape. And seeing how he had brought Lord of Dragons to the field, she knew that a Blue-Eyes or three were sure to follow. She had to destroy Lord of Dragons quickly, even if it meant attacking Hufanse.

            "Okay," she said, drawing a card. She eyed his face down cards as she placed a card on the field. "I play Black-Silver Damsel in attack mode! Attack Hufanse!" The silver-robed Enchantress rose up from the card, preparing to nock an arrow. Serenity looked over at the Duel Monster audience and they glared at her, using a finger as if to cut their throats.

            "Hufanse?" Seto asked. "Who's that?" Serenity understood their meaning.

            "Oh…uh…he's…um…a friend…" Serenity looked at her Duel Monster friends, who were mouthing something. "Amore? No, ass…wait! Actor! Right, actor friend in a… way? No! Play! Play! Yeah, he's a friend, and an actor in a play of… Duel Monsters. He plays the Lord of Dragons and I always think of him." Serenity sighed. She wished they had told her exactly what disguise they were using before hand.

            "Phew!" Svrion sighed. "That was close…" The Black-Silver Damsel let go of her arrow and it hit the Lord, destroying him. Seto's LP dropped to 2400. _He's still higher than me. And with two face down cards, who knows what he's planning?_ Serenity signaled for her turn's end. Seto drew a card. He smirked. _He's planning something! It's so obvious! _

            "For this turn," he began, setting a card face down and another in attack mode. "I'll just play set this one card face down, play Saggi in attack mode, and end my turn." Serenity raised her eyebrows. _I knew it. There is **no way** that Seto would be stupid to play a six hundred attack point monster when I have one with fifteen hundred. Plus, he has three face down cards. Of course I'm not going to attack!_

            "I know what you're planning," Serenity said, though it wasn't entirely true. She knew that he was planning something, but didn't know what. "I don't care what it is but I'm not falling into your trap." Seto chuckled.

            "Afraid?" he taunted. "I should of known. Girls always are. That's why they can never emerge victorious, hiding behind their monsters and thinking their opponents will go easy on them…"

            "Why do you hate girls so much?" Serenity demanded. "We're cool!"

            "First of all, girls are always trying to prove themselves to be equal with strength as the guys, if not stronger. Second, girls blush way too much and try to use… interesting tactics to win boys. Third, I don't want to marry one and I'm trying to convince myself more and more so I suddenly don't change my mind. And lastly, I'm proving something to my mother."

            "First of all, girls have to prove themselves because _some people_ always try to put them down. Second, you guys make us blush and our _interesting tactics_ are far less interesting than guys'. Third, marrying a girl doesn't give you a disease. And finally, proving something to your mother doesn't require you to be so _rude!_"

            "Ahem!" Cecilia butted in. "Excuse me, but I would like to say something. It's great and all that you want to express your different viewpoints, but there are twelve minutes left till midnight so… hurry up!" Seto rolled his eyes.

            "Okay then," Serenity said. "I'm not stupid so I'll switch my monster to Defense Mode, place a card face down, and end my turn." The Damsel crouched down, one hand over her knee and the other on the ground holding the bow. A glowing card appeared behind her.

            "Fine with me," Seto said. "I'll place another card face down and end my turn." Serenity yawned and started her turn by drawing a card. All this arguing was making her tired, again. She wasn't playing her part of Shizuka very well by being so argumentive, but at least her accent was flawless. "I'll sacrifice Black-Silver Damsel to bring out my Dark Magician Girl and end my turn." Her Damsel disappeared in a cloud of smoke and pink hearts flew everywhere. DMG appeared with a wink and twirled around. Seto smirked.

            "Another female monster…" he said.

            "That's right," Serenity said. "Have a problem with that?"

            "No," he said. "I would have thought you would have learned that female Duel monsters are weaker." Serenity sent him a glare that could have easily penetrated her veil. "Anyways, for my turn, I am getting increasingly tired of the fact that you won't attack so I'll abandon my strategy and put Saggi in Defense mode." His clown monster crossed his arms over his chest and kneeled.

            "Watch her fall for it," he mused with pleasure.

            "Well then," Serenity said. "Since we only have a limited time anyway, I'll draw and attack with my Dark Magician Girl!" Seto smirked.

            "Girls are so predictable!" Serenity raised her eyebrows. "I knew you would have attacked as soon as you heard my strategy was 'abandoned'. Now, time for the killer! I activate my Crush card, Virus!" Serenity gasped as Seto pressed a button on his Duel Disk. A trap card rose up to reveal a big purple virus germ. Immediately, Saggi exploded and a cloud of silver particles rushed toward Serenity.

            "I activate Stop Trap!" Serenity declared. "Nice try, Seto!" Seto smirked again.

            "I can counter yours with a card of my own. Mystical Space Typhoon will send your Trap to the Graveyard." The particles that had originally started to fade away became clearer again. DMG gasped as the cloud blew around her.

            "DMG!" Serenity cried as DMG was destroyed instantly.

            "Cy!" Svrion cried out, leaping forward. It took all of the combined strength of Belial, Aundren, Rowen, and Aniron to keep him back. Serenity was flabbergasted. The cloud floated around her, infiltrating her Deck and rendering fourteen of her precious cards useless.

            "Now, you wish you didn't attack? You still have to finish your turn." Serenity growled and looked at her hand. Two of the cards had been sent to the Graveyard from Virus's effect, which made every card with above fifteen hundred attack points useless. Unfortunately for Serenity, that was more than three-fourths of her Monsters.

            _Okay, don't panic, don't panic. You're still in the game! You still have five monsters in your Deck that can be used, one of them in your Hand. Plus, you have a lot of Magic and Trap cards. Sure, you only have 1800 LP left, and Seto still has two cards face down, but still! There's hope!_

            "That was pretty good!" Cecilia commended. "But I have to interrupt. There are only seven minutes left. I have come to the decision that the person with more LP at the stroke of midnight wins!" Serenity gaped.

            _Serenity… you may panic now!_

            "Seems fair!" Seto agreed. Cecilia frowned at him. Even if she wanted her son to get married, announcing an engagement at midnight was more important since her own engagement had. Besides, there were other ways to find a bride…

            "I place this card in defense mode and end my turn," Serenity said. Her position had just gotten worse.

            "Good," Seto said, drawing a card. "I'll help you and speed up the Duel so you can actually _attempt_ to win." Serenity narrowed her eyes. _Since when did Seto want to do that? He's up to something. _

"Okay then," he began. "First, I activate my face down card, Monster Reborn, and bring back Lord of Dragons." His warrior appeared, brandishing his cape. He smiled at Serenity. "Then activate my other face down card, Flute of Summoning Dragon!" The golden flute appeared, and Lord of Dragons grabbed it. "Summon the Dragon to the field!"

            Lord of Dragons looked sympathetically at Serenity before blowing a melodious tune. A loud roar erupted. Behind the Lord, silver sparks flew into the air. A bright light consumed the ballroom and a Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerged onto the field. Serenity stared at it in horror.

            _Yep…panic…_

            "Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Attack her face down card!" Serenity bit her lip and looked up at the advancing Blue-Eyes, coming at bullet speed. A flash of White-Lightening exploded and her face down card was demolished. Serenity moaned as she was thrown backwards.

            "Lord of Dragons, attack her Life Points." Hufanse sighed and lunged forward. Before Serenity could quite get to her feet, his attack hit home and Serenity fell to her knees, clutching her stomach. Her LP dropped to a mere six hundred. Seto chuckled. Deep in a corner of his heart, he felt like an idiot for attacking her like that. But, he had to do whatever he needed to keep from marrying her.

            "How pathetic," Seto jeered. "Can't get on your feet? Jounouchi, I would expect more from you." _Great, Seto, you're on last name terms again. And I can't believe I thought you liked me…_

            "What's pathetic is that you're about to lose!" Serenity retorted. Where those words came from, Serenity had no idea. With five minutes left in the clock, it felt like Serenity's last turn. She had to somehow find a way to dispose of Seto's 2400 LP, which was near impossible.

            "I don't know what puts those words into your mouth, but it's definitely not your brain," Seto commented.

            "It's my heart," Serenity muttered. "That's what's telling me that I'm not going to lose." Serenity closed her eyes and prepared to pull a card from her Deck. _Here I am again. One last draw…_ Serenity drew her card and slowly opened one eye to look at it. _Or not… since I have five more last draws…_

            "I play Card of Five Chances ()! In exchange for half of my Life Points, I can draw five more cards from my Deck."

            "More pathetic," Seto remarked. Serenity growled. As her LP dropped to three hundred, she drew her first of five cards.

            "I play Mistletoe Mistress in attack mode!" Serenity's green-robed Fairy appeared on the field, ready to attack with a sword made of holly. The choice of weapon nearly made Seto cackle with laughter.

            "A female again? What did I tell you? No female monster could ever defeat my Dragon." Serenity scowled as she drew another card. _Stop Magic…this card is no use at all._ Serenity drew another, adding it to her hand. _Counter, not any more useful. And the next is…Double Trouble. Nope, not good at all. It all comes down to this._

            "Looks like you're at the end of your wire," Seto said. "One last draw, and it's all over. You were so foolish if you ever thought of winning. The last three minutes are yours." Serenity scowled and slowly drew the card. As the sudden thought of this being her last chance occurred to her, the weight of everyone eyes in the ballroom pressed down on her.

            _Everything you have ever hoped for comes down to this. You **are** at the end of your wire, Serenity. Come on, think! Draw a card and win the Duel!_ Encouraging herself, she took one deep breath, instantly copied by everyone around her, and looked at the card. She smiled slyly.

            "What was that you said about my female monster? Oh yeah, about the fact that no female could every destroy your Dragon."

            "That's a fact."

            "That may be a fact, but what about fourteen females acting together?" Seto looked at her with a confused expression.

            "What are you planning?"

            "MAIDEN POWER!! ()!!' Serenity slapped her card onto her Duel Disk. "Thank you for the Crush card, or this wouldn't be possible. Since now fourteen female monsters are in the Graveyard, they each give 500 points of their power toward my Mistletoe Mistress."

            "No…" Seto whispered. Serenity looked at the clock… one minute left…

            "Activate now!" Serenity declared. A faint flow surrounded her Duel Disk. Fourteen different female monsters rose up behind her, all in white gowns and glowing orbs in their hands. Starting with DMG, each poured power into Mistletoe Mistress. Her attack power went up to 8700 points! _Thirty seconds…_

            "Go! Mistletoe Mistress! Use your Sword and attack!" Seto's eyes widened as the Mistress's sword brightened. She lunged forward and made a clean cut through the Dragon. In a flash of unbearably white light, it roared and vanished. The audience gasped. Seto's LP had reached… zero…

            "I won…" Serenity said blankly. "I…I WON!!!!" Serenity cried out in happiness and jumped around. Svrion, Belial, Aniron, and Rowen flew out to greet her, cheering. The audience clapped wildly.

            "SETO'S GONNA GET MARRIED!!!" Cecilia, Pegasus, and Mokuba exclaimed loudly, dancing around, as Seto fumed. Serenity's celebration came to a halt.

            "Wh…wha…what?" she stammered. "I can't! I have to… I didn't! I won't… I have to… I don't want to marry him! I have to do something!" Before Serenity could protest, a loud chime rang throughout the hall. Serenity gasped.

            It was the first stroke of the twelfth hour. _Midnight!_


	16. Was it a Dream?

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

CHAPTER 16: Was it a Dream?

            "I've got to do something! Fast!" Serenity cried, frantically scanning her brain. It was midnight and the first chime had rung. The second one rang now. Serenity panicked.

She turned back to Seto.

            "I guess that was…" Seto began, but trailed off. "What's happening to your veil?" Serenity looked down and panicked yet again.

            "Oh my!" Rowen cried, looking at the lowest edge of the veil slowly disappearing. "And look! Your gown!" Serenity gasped and twirled around. Her pink gown was starting to fade into a dull yellow color. Highly noticeable.

            "What do I do?" Serenity queried. The fourth bell rung and veil inched up her shoulders, exposing some of her red hair. In her final brain-wracking moment, she came up with one solution.

            The next second, Serenity picked up her skirts and fled the scene, literally. Miraculously, the crowds parted without question. She tore across the ballroom floor to the main exit. The Duel Monsters didn't have much time to react; almost no one did. Of course, Seto was an exception. As soon as he saw her turn, he knew what she was going to do, and he _obviously _didn't really care because he didn't want to marry her anyway, right?

            That was why, one split-second later, he was running after her full speed. Serenity noticed and tried to pick up her pace. She had a head start, practically skipping over half of the palaces long step. When she got to the bottom, she turned and found Seto just appearing at the top. Not knowing what to do, Serenity dived into the nearest bush.

            "Shizuka!" Seto called at the top of the steps. "Shizuka?" Serenity shuffled to a position as comfortable as could be in a thorny bush. As she felt her hair, she realized the veil had completely gone by this time. Her gown had shortened a few inches to its regular color and the sleeves had disappeared. If Seto saw her, she would be recognized immediately – not as Shizuka – but as Serenity.

            "Your Highness?" Serenity craned her neck to look back up at the top of the steps. Two guards had approached Seto.

            "Search the grounds and report to me if you find her!" Serenity yelped slightly and ducked back down into the bush. Her cheeks and arms stung from the thorns. Still, she could not risk being seen.

            Five guards clambered down the steps. Among their chattering and armor clashes, Serenity heard distance voices belonging to the Royals that had joined their son.

            "Where did she go?"

            "She actually beat you!"

            "I don't know!"

            "Seto, are you going to marry her now?"

            "Shush! Mokuba, she's not even here. I don't know why she fled."

            "We better find her!"

            "And I thought you didn't like her…"

            "I-I-I don't! I just want to see that card of hers!" Serenity smiled and snuggled down into the bushes, wincing as a small branch caught her hair. Suddenly, she noticed that she had on the Duelist glove and the Disk. Of course, the Disk was made by no magical means, but the Glove was. She wondered why it didn't disappear.

            "We cannot find her, your Majesty!"

            "Search the back! We can't let her escape!"

            "Yes, sir!" Serenity peeked slightly over the bushes as the clamor of guards slowly disappeared. Making sure the coast was cleared, she got up and climbed out into the pale moonlight. As she checked over herself, she saw that almost all traces of "Shizuka" were gone. Her veil had gone and her auburn hair was falling loosely around her head. She was left in a pale yellow, sleeveless hand-me-down gown that trailed two inches off the gown, exposing her bare feet. The only small evidence of the whole evening was the Duelist Glove on her right hand.

            "If it wasn't for this, I would think I was dreaming," Serenity said to no one in particular. Turning her hand over, she took out the brown and green stones. _I'll keep this as a reminder that tonight really did happen, and that I beat Téa and Mai._ After looking at the glove one last time, she threw it over her shoulder onto the palace steps.

            _Still, I am a fool! I am not a Duelist! I just won by sheer luck! Okay, maybe I defeated Seto, but it's useless. I can't mention this to anybody, and no one can give credit to me. I'll never be able to share this. I'm not Shizuka, I'm Serenity._ With those thoughts, Serenity left for home.

………

            "That was plain weird!" Téa cried, pulling Mai over. The ballroom was in a blaze of whispers of excitement and confusing murmurs. Mai seemed very excited.

            "It's perfect!" she cried. "If Shizuka ran away from Seto, I can have him!" Téa gave her an exasperated sigh.

            "Okay, Mai! But right now, let's focus on what we think happened to Shizuka! She just… ran! Have we met any girl in our life that actually _did not_ want to marry Seto?" Mai opened the mouth as if she had ten answers ready, but she quickly closed her mouth. After five seconds, she slowly opened it again.

            "Lumina…" Mai offered. "You…"

            "I did! I just don't any more! As for Lumina… okay… but still, that's one out of a million."

            "Still, why are you so ballistic over Shizuka."

            "All I'm saying is that she's weird, really weird. I wonder who she _really is_. Whenever I'm around her, I always have a feeling I know her. Mai, I don't really think she's _Shizuka_!"

………

            Seto came out onto the palace steps again after going back in seven times. Every time, he was drawn back outside. It was peaceful, with a full moon and a light breeze. Still, Seto was mad. He wasn't mad that a girl had beaten him, at least, not mainly. He was mad that she had gotten away. He couldn't admit he wanted to marry her, but he could admit he was at least _interested_ in her ability to Duel. It seemed like she was an amateur, but a good one.

            As he bit his lip and thought about her, a small glimmer of a jewel caught his eye. His gaze traveled to the lower corner of the steps where a Duelist glove lay. Instantly, a name flashed through his mind: _Shizuka_. Hurrying, he ran down the steps and down to the glove. Four of the six slots glimmered with multicolored stones. It was definitely hers all right. The black color gave it away so easily. Plus, it was tiny, like her hands, but with long fingers.

            "Funny," he thought. "How did she ever drop this?" Seto shrugged and slipped it in his coat pocket. At least he had something to remember her by.

………

            Serenity ran all the way back to her house, not even pausing to rest once. It was a miracle she did not lose the way. Somehow, just thinking of Seto made her feet know just where to go.

            It was almost near the half hour when Serenity made it home. Only the kitchen light was on. Hurriedly, she turned on every light switch in the main floor. Then, she went upstairs and changed into her nightgown, putting an over-used blue bathrobe over it. Combing her hair neatly, she slipped the two stones she had kept inside a drawer. Then, she went downstairs.

            Téa and Mai came home three minutes later, just as Serenity was pretending to organize some things on the counter. She turned and smiled at them.

            "So, how was it?" she asked. Téa came in with a smile on her lips.

            "Wonderful!" she cried. "Even though I never actually dueled Seto, but Yami likes me! I got kissed twice!" Serenity gave her a thumbs up through a small smirk. Yep, she had seen that.

            "Not so great," Mai muttered, unhappy about being dragged home so early. Unlike she had hoped, Seto had not even given her a second glance. He was too worried about his poor "Shizuka".

            "Anyways," Téa interrupted, "hope you had something to eat. I know we nearly cleared out the fridge!" Serenity smiled weakly. _That's right! I nearly forgot! All I had were four cookies! Hardly enough for a stomach like mine. I better fish out something now!_ Serenity rushed to the fridge and opened it.

            "Anything left?" Mai asked. Serenity looked through. Mostly, only bowls and uncovered dishes lay empty on the shelves. Luckily, one apple lay at the very top shelf. Serenity grabbed it and looked at it thankfully.

            "Thank you, dear," Mai cried. Serenity gasped as she plucked the apple out of her hand. Serenity's stomach growled angrily.

            "Okay, about the ball…" Mai started, leaning against the counter and rolling the apple in her hand over and over. "It was okay, actually. I did get to see the prince and that is good enough. He even talked to us in the beginning. And he knew us!"

            _I remember that too! That was when he first saw me…I'm glad he didn't recognize me._ Serenity eyed the apple. Her stomach wanted her to get it and she would get it. Slowly, Serenity approached Mai. She stood by the corner, eyeing the apple as Mai held it in her hand. Slowly, the hand lowered and the apple with it. Now, both rested on the counter.

            "Anyways, there was something mysterious, though," Mai added. Serenity raised her eyebrows, inching her hand closer. She was an inch away from the unguarded apple.

            "Really?" she queried, though there was no need to. _That's probably me she's talking about._

            "Yeah!" Mai suddenly took the apple and started walking again, Serenity glaring after her. "There was this girl, and she had on this veil and so we didn't know who she was."

            "Some person from a different part of Domino, probably," Téa suggested. "Though, no part of Domino has people specifically wearing veils."

            "Interesting," Serenity muttered nonchalantly, focusing on the apple. _Yep, small comments are the way to go. Focus on the apple. Don't say anything that could give you away. _Mai had stopped at the kitchen table now, fingering the apple in her right hand. She set it down on the table beside her and crossed her arms.

            "The thing is," she continued. "She beat everyone at Duel Monsters! All six people she faced. I think she's been Dueling for five years at least!" _Ha! Make that five **hours!**_ Serenity finally positioned herself near the apple and sneakily tried to weed her hand behind Mai's back to reach it.

            "No! She's serious!" Téa suddenly exclaimed. "Of course, I lost on purpose to her, but she beat Mai!"

            "That's got to be one good Duelist," Serenity remarked, struggling to find the apple. She groped around without trying to make it seem obvious. Her sisters couldn't know she hadn't eaten anything. They wouldn't have believed her. _I can't believe it! They think I'm a good Duelist! Ha! They don't know the half of it. They might, someday, maybe when we're all old grandmothers and I choose to tell them._ Serenity noticed that Mai had moved, taking the apple with her. Serenity sighed and started the chase over.

            "Anyway, that girl, Shizuka, beat all six people so easily! Of course, three of them were forfeits but still… the other three were good Duelists!" Serenity watched as Mai brought the apple close to her mouth.

            "She also beat Seto," Téa added, just as Mai bit into the apple.

            "NO!" Serenity cried.

            "I know, hard to believe isn't it?" Serenity tried not to try to hit Téa on the head, or Mai. It was better that the two of them misinterpret her sudden ejaculation than to figure out she had been at the Tournament.

            "It is," Serenity forced out. _Great! Guess I'll be going hungry tonight. Serves me right! I shouldn't have tried to fool 134 people and the Royal family tonight. As much as I hate to think about it, the king, queen, and younger prince had been so hopeful I – Shizuka, I mean – would marry Seto. I took their hopes up and crashed them_.

            "…Her method of Dueling was flawless…" Téa's voice droned in the background. "Even when Seto had out his Crush Card, she looked at it as smoothly as if it had been… a fuzzy, purple… cloud!" _Maybe I shouldn't have done that. I know Seto didn't want to marry, but… what if he changed his mind?_

            "And then she was faced with three Blue-Eyes White Dragons…"

            _Did I really make the best choice to run?_

"…she beat it with one card…"

            _Should I have stayed and revealed myself?_

            "…well, two actually…"

            _I know he was a jerk and all, but all guys are like that at some point. You have to give them some time… would Seto have **wanted** to marry me if I was only Serenity?_

            "…the whole crowd was so surprised…"

            _Would I have wanted to marry Seto? Would I mind? I mean, his family is really nice and it almost seems like I know them from somewhere…Queen Cecilia, King Pegasus… it almost seems like I've been with them in the castle…_

            "…the next thing you know, she does the worst thing… she runs!" Serenity shook out of her thoughts.

            "The worst thing?" she questioned. "What do you mean?"

            "Running from marrying Seto? Hello! Serenity, he's like the single hottest prince the land has ever known… and she ran!"

            _He is pretty good looking… really good looking… **extremely** good looking… but still, he is kinda nice if you think. He actually did eventually take me home that day with the market incident. Maybe he's nice… but we are talking about **marriage** here. Do I really want to marry him? I think I should have run… what do I mean **should have**? I did…that may have been a bad choice._

"Anyway," Mai said. "So, after that, Seto spends like the rest of the hour looking for her…"

            _So… he **does** like Shizuka…_

            "In fact," Téa added, "he goes out onto the steps **seven** times. Can you believe that? All the girls tried to get his attention, but his mind was fixed on Shizuka."

            _Never mind… he **loves** Shizuka…lucky girl…WAIT! That's me!_

            "His parents were all happy that he finally found a girl…"

            _What am I saying? Shizuka is not me! And did I say **lucky**? I don't think that's lucky, do I? Do I really want to marry him? I must be going crazy!_

            "So, we got bored and came home. That's the whole story, we'll tell you all about the Duels tomorrow…"

            _You know, this seems to weird to be reality. Did all those things really happen? I mean…who would have thought? I think it's all a dream…was it a dream?_

            "Are okay?" Mai inquired suddenly, shaking Serenity out of her thoughts.

            "Oh…huh…what? I mean… sorry, I'm just…trying to imagine what the Tournament was like…" Téa and Mai smirked.

            "Too bad you couldn't have gone!" they chuckled. "Anyway, we're tired so we're going to turn in…good night!" Serenity sighed with relief as her sisters left the kitchen. For a few minutes, she stood leaning against the counter, listening to her stomach growl. Finally, she decided to try the freezer.

            _Please let something be in there._ Serenity opened the door and gaped. The freezer was packed! Ice creams to sherbets to banana splits sat side by side, jammed into every shelf. On one of the edges was a note. Serenity pulled it off and read it aloud, softly.

            "_Serenity, my sister Cy told me of the fact that you are going to the Tournament. By the time you read this, it might be long over. Congratulations if you won…anyways, Cy thought that your stepsisters might get angry if your house wasn't clean…why are you cleaning the mess, anyway? Don't you have servants…sorry, off the topic. Anyway, she told some of the fairies to help. Fairy Lily was one of them. The Harpies also helped, with their Feather Dusters…uh, that's not important. Anyway (sorry if I am being redundant) but I happen to come by your fridge and found that it was empty! Sorry I couldn't pack the refrigerator (funny that your kingdom has those, but it doesn't have microwaves! Your Realm is very strange! Ooops, digressed again!) Anyway, the point is, I felt sorry and I went to talk to Yantzeir, the Trap Master. He agreed to help me, but he would only give me desserts. Just Desserts! Can you believe him? I told him you couldn't survive on **Just** Desserts, but he wouldn't listen. Sorry, but that's Yantzeir for you, always selfish with his Traps. You would think he has enough. So, that's the explanation. Don't worry about your stepsisters; the food is charmed to be invisible to them. Happy eating! Signed, Clarrisa, Magician of Faith._" Serenity smiled as she finished the note. So… DMG has a sister. Serenity finally realized why everything seemed so organized.

            _So…this settles it. It wasn't a dream… still, it just bugs me a little…should… would I have married…Seto? _Serenity decided to leave her thoughts alone. After all, she would have the rest of her life to ponder the questions. For now, there was some major pigging out on desserts to be done!


	17. In Search of a Maiden

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

CHAPTER 17: In Search of a Maiden

            The next morning, Serenity woke up as the sunlight filtered into her room. She propped herself up on both elbows, thinking to herself for a few moments. After figuring out exactly where she was, she suddenly gasped. Rushing to her drawer, she opened it. She saw the box wrapped in chains. She unhooked the clasp, opened the lid, unwrapped the cloth, removed another lid, and unscrewed a bottle. From that, she poured two stones into her hand. Rays of brown and green danced on her hand.

            Serenity, satisfied, put the stones back in the bottle, put it in the smaller box, wrapped the cloth around it, put it in another box, and wrapped a chain around it. Then, she slipped it in her drawer and jammed it with a small piece of metal on the side. Only she knew how to get it out, and only if she could think straight while that.

            Serenity wasn't trying to hide the jewels from her sisters as much as she was from herself. Her conscience and all the other little voices in her head were bothering her. She must have counted ten times she woke up during the night and looked for it. By the fifth time, she was so addicted she had to put it in a box. When that didn't work, she put it in more boxes and other additional stuff. Finally, she even resorted to tying it in chains and jamming the drawer. The last finally worked since she was so tired by the time she got up for the tenth time that she couldn't see well enough to get it out.

            _I just can't believe I won! I beat people with five years experience in just five hours!_ Serenity eyed the drawer but quickly squeezed her eyes shut. _It's only been a night, why does it seem like such a long time? STOP LOOKING AT IT!! YOU ARE SO OBSESSED SHIZ-SERENITY!!! **NO! I AM SERENITY!**_ Serenity shivered and literally kicked the drawers. Then, so she wouldn't have to look at it anymore, she stormed to the bathroom and slammed the door.

            "Serenity! Breakfast!" hollered two voices from downstairs. Serenity emerged from the bathroom all freshened up in her hand-me-down robe. Taking one annoyed look at the dresser, she flew down the stairs. Her two sisters were already up and freshened.

            "Breakfast?" Mai queried expectantly. Serenity sighed and headed to the pantry. She brought out a box of cereal that was near empty. That was the only thing left in the house that was edible, besides the freezer of deserts. Serenity poured the cereal into all three bowls, emptying the box. When she went to the fridge for milk, there was none.

            "Um… Mai… Téa… there's no… no milk…"

            "NO!" Téa cried. "Milk is important! It helps build strong bones for dancing! We **must…have…milk!**"

            "Does milk help your hair, lips, or nails?" Mai asked. "Cause if it does… I cannot go without it!" Serenity sighed.

            "Guys… no dairy shops will be open at… eight o'clock in the morning. And we don't have a cow!" Mai and Téa looked at each other.

            "True, I guess we won't-,"

            "**NO!!!! I will die! Next time I dance, my bones will crack and I'll never be able to dance again! NO!**"

            "Téa… skipping one glass of milk is _not_ going to hurt you. Have something else strong in calcium instead… like cheese… or another dairy product!" Mai's reasoning was not working. Téa looked horrified at the fact that there was no milk.

            "Téa! Listen! Do you know what… um… Yami doesn't drink milk for breakfast!" Téa looked at Serenity.

            "He doesn't?" she asked incredulously.

            "Of course not, he only has it for lunch. He says too much milk makes you… makes you… too… milky… I mean… your skin turns all pale and your hair…" Serenity didn't know what she was saying, but Mai looked more horrified than Téa.

            "WHAT!?" she cried. "That's it! I am only having milk once a day from now on!"

            "If Yami's not doing it, I'm not doing it!"

            "Okay then… we'll just have water." Serenity hurried to the sink to get some shiny mugs and fill them with water.

            "Serenity, after we are done with breakfast, you need to go to the market and get some milk. We need some for lunch. Oh… and get some lunch too, while you're at it." Serenity growled. She hated the market. The market was a bad place for her.

            "Fine…" Serenity brought back each of the cups and set them at the table. Breakfast began. Téa and Mai thought this would be a great opportunity to tell all about each of the Duels. Serenity mentally screamed.

            "Okay, I'll go first…" Téa started. Mai sniffed and took her cup, using her reflection to arrange her blonde mess of hair. Serenity tried to look like she was listening and not listen at the same time, concentrating on Mai out of the corner of her eye. She didn't understand why Mai was so obsessed with beauty. _Hey, don't be talking. You're the one obsessed with last night._

            "Isn't that so amazing?" Téa cried.

            "Oh, yes definitely," Serenity replied, though she had not idea what Téa had said before. While she kept on talking, Serenity looked at her own mug. Her own pink reflection glared back. _OH NO! NOT THIS COLOR!_ Serenity looked away, trying not to be reminded of the gown she had worn the previous night. But somehow, her eyes seemed to be drawn back. She stared at it for a few minutes, glaring back at herself. Suddenly, the image seemed to change. Instead, she was met with the one image she didn't want to see.

            Serenity pulled herself away from Seto's smiling face as quickly as she could, pushing the mug as far as it would go without falling off. She turned back to Téa.

            "Téa… listen. I think I should go to the market early so it's not crowded." Serenity stood up and put her bowl and mug away, trying to use as few fingers as possible while touching it. As Mai and Téa watched her with perplexed faces, she hurried up the stairs.

            "Do you think something happened to her while we went to the Tournament?" Téa asked.

            "Maybe some fairy came and put a spell on her," Mai joked. The two of them giggled.

………

            A little after nine, Serenity slipped into a burgundy gown and headed out. It had only been ten minutes since most of the market stores were opened, but there were people everywhere. Serenity heard most of them talking about the ball. Or rather, one specific part of the ball…

            "I know… I wonder if she was pretty…"

            "Why was she wearing a veil?"

            "Did you see how she drew those life-saving cards?"

            "I can't believe she ran away! Who wouldn't want to Duel Seto?"

            "You know? That's the first girl Seto seems to actually show his affection too…"

            "I know… you see how close he got to her?" Serenity sighed. Too many people were obsessed with "Shizuka", and the funny part was that she didn't even exist.

            "Maybe that was just to see through the veil…"

            "Puh-leaze! He's head ova' heals in love with 'er and now he's devastated just because she took off!" Serenity clamped her hands shut over her ears and walked faster. If Mai and Téa were terrorizing her, this was even worse.

            "You know, that girl is so mean! I mean, Seto is so hot and so sweet and she broke his heart!" Serenity heard that one and it was the last straw.

            "What she did was right!" she exclaimed angrily, rounding on the two teenage girls who had spoken.

            "Excuse me? Did you see how devastated Seto was?"

            "Seto's a prince and he will always be!!! But that girl… what do you think? Do you think she's some pampered princess herself! Face it! However attractive Seto is, he's still a jerk! I know! If he needs a broken heart to show him that, let it be! Shut up about the girl because what she did was right! She was lucky her… captors didn't realize she had broken out!" _Whoa! Calm down Serenity! It's just one comment…_

            "She's in jail!?"

            "No! She's being held as a prisoner in her own family. She's a slave! And what's more… her heart has been terrorized by Seto and it still is! Every time she even sees anything she sees him! She didn't want to marry him! She just wanted to defeat him in a Duel to prove she was better than he had claimed! And what does she get? Now, everyone goes around telling how mean she was!" _I have to do this. I don't want to be blamed for the rest of my life…_

            "Have you ever loved anyone and have had him or her ripped away from you? Well I have! Both my parents died when I was just eight! My own stepfather cares only for my older brother who is too far away to take care of me. My older stepsisters are mean to me! That girl… Shizuka, she has no one and never did! While Seto… he has caring parents and a wonderful brother. You think being separated from a girl he saw for five hours is going to make as lasting effect on his life as losing your parents would?" Serenity stopped speaking with a glare to let her words take effect. All the people surrounding her had heard and everyone was silent. Finally, the girl who had talked earlier spoke up.

            "What would you do if the first person you ever loved hated you? Have you ever been hated? I know you Serenity, I know you because my two older brothers have a crush on you! They've seen you outside in your yard. Of course, one of them is in Domino Academy and had just come back for vacation the first time they saw you… Ian, my oldest brother. He is head over heels for you… do you ever care? I know that your brother has talked to you about him… and what did you say?"

            "Um… I said I don't like him and that… I could find ten guys cuter than him… okay, well; I was having a bad day! Mai had tried to put me through a total makeover! Having your hair pulled out from its roots is not a good way to spend your Sunday morning…"

            "An excuse… like Shizuka…"

            "You know what? I am here for milk! I am sick and tired of hearing about Shizuka… Seto is probably over it already! Good-bye!" Serenity blindly stomped off. A few girls sucked in a deep breath and continued walking. Others shook their heads. The one who had spoken glared after her.

            _I can't believe it! Why do they always have to talk about her? Why? I have gone through enough torture already. I still believe I made the right choice! Did I? Oh goodness, have I really hurt Seto that bad-_Serenity yelped as she ran face first into somebody. She pulled away and gasped. It was none other Prince Seto… again! He seemed to be very distracted for some odd reason.

            "Oh, it's you," he said coldly. Serenity glared at him. _Remember Serenity, you weren't at the ball. Shizuka was at the ball. Not you, Shizuka. But you are Shizuka… no! You are not Shizuka…_

            "Cat got your tongue?" Serenity snapped out of her thoughts.

            "Are you mad at Shizuka…" Seto looked at her with a forced smirk… a very forced smirk…

            "Why would I be mad at her? She only ruined my life. Listen, my mom is determined to marry me off and she's the kind that _will_ see it done. And right now, Shizuka was the only girl I was remotely interested in marrying."

            "Do you like her?"

            "What do you think?"

            "I don't know. I'm not you…"

            "Yes! Of course I do!"

            "How can you like her? You barely know her!"

            "Have you ever heard of love at first sight?"

            "Love at first sight? You didn't even see her! She was wearing a veil!"

            "Things happen, okay? Unless you didn't know, I didn't even believe something like love existed."

            "Seto, I know you don't love _her_. You love her Dueling… basically, you love her strategy. Don't be a fool. You love pieces of paper!" _I've got to convince him! I will never be at rest if the whole world is angry at me because I ran away…I wasn't afraid… maybe, of my sisters finding out. Not afraid to marry him…idiot! I was just…_

            "I am a Duelist! And I love a Duelist!"

            "You are a human being! Dueling does not make you love someone! If a person just beats you in a Duel, does it automatically mean they win your heart? What if that person, behind that veil, had been someone you hated with all your heart. Would you just assume they are good inside? You have to actually know somebody! The person under there could have been your arch rival… the person you despised above everybody… it could have been… me?"

            "I don't hate you…"

            "Yeah… but you wouldn't want to marry me either…"

            "I don't know about that…"

            "WHAT? I mean… anyway… you can't be upset cause she ran away… you can't fall in love over a Duel…"

            "What would you know? You weren't even there! I searched for you for a while and didn't see you at all." _I was there, but I wasn't there… I was Shizuka and I ran away…**I** ran away… Shizuka didn't… Shizuka wouldn't…_

            "Oh… you searched for me? Anyway, this is from my sister's stories. I just wanted to know… if you really liked her… and if what my sisters said was true… that she broke your heart by running away…" Serenity's moment of anger had quickly disappeared when she remembered she wasn't talking about some stranger, but herself. _You might not have been **Shizuka**, but you were in her place and it was **you** that decided to run away…_Seto bit his lip. He looked as if he could have cried, if that was even possible.

            "Well…I've never had my heart broken so I wouldn't know," Seto said matter-of-factly. "Well…maybe I did once…"

            "When?"

            "When I was a child and that girl I told you about. I had told her to visit me sometime. She came once… only once… and then she disappeared. My mother told me not to disturb her because she had a new life and could be too busy to come. My heart broke that day… I lost the only friend I had." Serenity sighed. "And now… it does feel like that… I lost the only girl I loved…" Serenity couldn't take it anymore.

            _I am such a fool… I'm acting just like DMG! She made me pretend like I am different people so I wouldn't get into trouble…and soon so many people were deceived, even my own brother. I've cheated Seto too… and he really is nice if you get to know him… Ha! I'm lecturing him that he didn't know the girl he loved. I don't know Seto half as well as I should…_ Serenity backed up and ran away. Seto didn't really notice. He was looking around to see if his Shizuka was anywhere to be found, unaware that she was running away from him again… _Too afraid to face my future…_

………

            "I'm home!" Serenity announced as she arrived back at the mansion, arms full of groceries. As she expected, Téa and Mai did nothing to help her unload the bags or put things away. They didn't even help her prepare lunch. Oh well, she was an expert usually anyways. Usually…

            _I know now. I have hurt him…over a hundred people think an imaginary person exists, and Seto believed it so much that he even liked her…_ Téa and Mai came into the kitchen to watch her cook.

            "What is on her mind?" Mai queried, watching Serenity absentmindedly throw five eggs into a pot without even breaking the shell. Téa raised her eyebrows.

            "Look! Now she's emptying the sugar bag into the pot… there goes all the salt…" Serenity clearly wasn't watching what she was doing.

            "Maybe we ought to shake her out of her daydream…"

            _I've broken someone's heart…_

………

            Seto returned to the castle. As usual, his parents were bickering about lunch and the chef was waiting anxiously, looking at the clock. He needed the decision now if he hoped to get lunch ready by the proper time.

            "We'll just have salad…" Seto told the chef. He bowed and exited the room. Just then, the other royals had come to a decision.

            "OKAY!!! We choose to have ham and cheese sandwiches with fries, corn on the cob, and some mixed green curry. As desert, we shall have some strawberry ice cream with vanilla stripes…" Pegasus trailed off when he noticed the chef wasn't there. Instead, Seto stood there in his place.

            "Oh… hello… did you find her?" Cecilia asked.

            "No… I was half-sidetracked. This girl suddenly started talking to me and arguing about something."

            "I see…" the king said. He pushed his dream lunch out of his mind. "Well, our few men that have volunteered to search have found nothing either. Seto… she isn't coming back." Seto took a deep breath and sat cross-legged on the floor, head in his hands. Cecilia and Pegasus looked at each other sadly. Just then, Mokuba came in.

            "Look what I found! Look what I found!" he cried excitedly, bringing in something in his hand. He held it out and the chandelier light striking it made a pattern that danced on his hand.

            "It's one of the Jewels," Cecilia explained in a dramatic voice. "Long ago, there was an ancient sorcerer who lived in these lands. One day, he touched a black object he wasn't supposed to and became evil. The Dark energy took over his mind and he turned his six daughters into different stones. You found one! Now we have to find five others to take back the curse!"

            "Really?" Mokuba inquired with interest.

            "No, dear, I was just kidding. That's just one of the stones that was used in the Tournament. It must have fallen off one of the girl's Gloves in the ballroom."

            "That couldn't be…" Mokuba pointed out. "I found it on Seto's bed…" Cecilia and Pegasus looked over at him. Seto looked up.

            "Um…" Pegasus said. "We weren't there the whole time… but we would know if one of the girls went up with Seto to his room… his bedroom…"

            "It must have fallen from the black Glove…" Seto said, walking over to take the stone from his brother. "That girl, Shizuka… she dropped her Glove on the stairs and I took it, along with four of the stones. Must've forgotten to take it out of my pocket when I went to bed." Seto reached into his pocket and took out the black Glove.

            "That's not like the ones we gave out," Pegasus observed.

            "Right… Shizuka had her own Glove…"

            "We could somehow use it to find her," Cecilia suggested.

            "How?" Seto asked.

            "Maybe we can try it on everyone's hand…" Mokuba proposed. Cecilia, Pegasus, and Seto looked at him and shook their heads.

            "We could never do that…" they said. Pegasus looked over at Cecilia and they both looked at Seto. "Could we?"

………

            Minutes later, Seto was walking out of the throne room along with his little brother, Glove in hand.

            "That was a good idea…" Mokuba exclaimed.

            "My parents are insane…" Seto muttered. "If they think they can go gallivanting across Domino and fit a glove onto the hand of every single girl, even if they aren't old enough to come to the Tournament…"


	18. First Kiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

CHAPTER 18: First Kiss

            Mai and Téa gulped as Serenity absentmindedly placed a bowl of "salad" in front of each of them. If they hadn't been too befuddled with Serenity's behavior, they would have punished her so harshly she wouldn't be able to see the light of day for weeks. But, watching their usually expert of a cook stepsister put interesting ingredients into salad, they were quite confused. Serenity placed the last bowl in front of her own seat, grabbed her fork, and started eating. Mai and Téa gaped.

            "Should we tell her or should we eat it?" Mai asked carefully, eyeing Serenity. The girl didn't seem to notice she was putting turnips and cottage cheese in her mouth drenched in cooking oil.

            "Um…it can't be that bad… of course… I wouldn't have turnips if you paid me… but, I can eat the other things. And cheese is good for bones… that's good for dancing." Mai nodded reluctantly and grabbed the fork like it was a time bomb. Tea did the same. Serenity kept eating like she was a preprogrammed machine.

            _You entered the contest for the sole purpose of just wanting to rub it in his face that you won, and now you've toyed with so many lives._

_            Four, it was just four._

_            That's a lot… compared the number of people you know…_

_            I don't know them that well…_

_            See… that's another reason… he's the **prince** for goodness sakes._

_            So, what do you want me to do? Huh?_

_            Apologize. The more you try to keep it a secret, the worse you are going to make it. At least… you can rub it in his face? Tell the truth…_

_            That'll make it worse! Right now his heart is broken because he thinks that girl is gone, but then I'll break his heart because he'll know she doesn't exist…_

_            …and… you can prove he fell in love with a simple Deck of cards. Either way, it is in your best interest. _

_            So… you want me to go to the castle, ring the bell, and just walk in like I'm a welcome guest._

_            My dear Serenity… have you learned nothing? How many times have you accidentally or intentionally bumped into Seto in your lifetime?_

_            A lot more times than necessary…_

_            Exactly. You'll bump into him again, in all likelihood, so just apologize._

_            All right…_ Suddenly, the mental conversation stopped and Serenity came out of her reverie. For a moment, she reminded herself on what she had to do. Before she could piece together anything else, a strangely bitter yet sour and highly rancid taste filled her mouth. She coughed and sputtered and choked. It felt like she had been hit by a truck and was coughing up blood… it even tasted like blood.

            "You're alive!" Téa said sarcastically. She was in a very bad mood. Next to her, Mai was drinking her fifth glass of water to wash out the horrible taste on her tongue, but it still was faintly there. Serenity raked through the contents of her "salad" and raised her eyebrows.

            "How many spices did I empty in here? Why are there turnips… for goodness sake, these eggs aren't cooked!" Serenity looked up at Mai and Téa with a horrified expression. The look they gave her back sealed her fate.

………

            "_Don't even think about coming back into this house until morning, you hear? You are sleeping outside for the next five days!_" Serenity winced as the back door literally slammed shut on her face. After listening to their yelling and screaming and any other negative things, Serenity had been put to work so hard that even the mop, duster, and the broom complained when she was done. Then, after not being allowed dinner – poor Serenity, not having _proper_ food for over twenty-four hours – she had been thrown out of the house for the night.

            Serenity didn't blame her sisters. She blamed herself. It had been her foolish decision to act like a child and go to a Tournament for the pleasure of defeating Seto while still expecting to escape the consequences without hurting the world. Then, she had even assumed she would get away with hurting somebody and not telling the truth. All for the pleasure of victory… winning wasn't everything…

            _But… I wasn't "pleasured" while defeating Seto… I suffered…_ Serenity had tried to convince herself that way, but it hadn't worked. _So did Seto… remember? But you, on the other hand, came out victorious and that made your situation much better…_ Maybe Serenity's conscience was a lawyer… it always had a way to counter any attempt Serenity made.

            Serenity wrapped her arms around herself and walked around. It was pretty cold, and the thin cotton dress wasn't helping much. It had elbow-length sleeves and extended way past her toes. Plus, its pitch-black color made her blend in with the night sky.

            After spending a few minutes randomly walking around the backyard, Serenity proceeded to leave her property entirely and walk to the park. She had been to the park several times as a child, before her parents had died and she had gone to live with the Kaibas. The only real memories she had of her childhood were the few park trips. None of the other memories were really worth being fond of. Her parents had always been fighting, and even though they always ended up patching up for a few days, another big disagreement would start up.

            Serenity tried not to depress herself, but she didn't need to worry because she was already depressed about hurting Seto. Serenity's childhood wasn't the happiest story in the world. At least once a week, her parents got into a fight. Often, her mother left for a few weeks and didn't come back until a while. Then, they would get over it and go on until the next argument.

            Even though Serenity never felt quite able to spend time with them, she still loved her parents. Unfortunately, they had been snatched from her in a terrible accident she had dreamed. It was still entirely vivid in her mind.

            _A streak of lightning suddenly hit the tree nearest to them. Thunder roared and the horses whinnied. Blindly, they dashed about._

_            "AH!" Mrs. Wheeler screamed. The driver couldn't stop the horses. Her husband wrapped his arms around her. Suddenly, the bar holding the horses snapped. One side fell and the other followed. The carriage bounced off the road and tumbled down the steep side. The carriage turned over several times. Mrs. Wheeler fell out of it somehow and came to a stop as she hit a boulder. Mr. Wheeler and the carriage kept going until they finally fell into the river._

_            "MA'AM!" the driver cried as he raced to the woman's side. There was a deep gash on her head and the rain was starting to make the blood flow down the side of her head._

_            "Serenity…" she whispered "Joey…" She closed her eyes and breathed no more._

            Serenity grimaced, remembering. That memory she could never quite get rid of. It was still fresh in her mind, and everything that had happened before and after was so hazy, as if that one dream had been cut out like a piece of pie. Serenity remembered she went to Gozaburo Kaiba's house, but before that she had been somewhere. Somewhere she felt she had went to recently, but couldn't quite remember.

            Tripping over a large root, Serenity's thoughts were shattered. She had reached the park. As expected at ten in the night, it was empty, lamps still blanketing the area in yellow light. No… not empty… a person was sitting in one of the purple benches in the middle. A tall, very handsome person…

            _Leave it to destiny to somehow miraculously drag Seto out of his castle so he can be coincidentally wherever I am._ Serenity's heart quickened a little. This was the perfect opportunity for her to tell the truth. She could finish everything tonight. She had been kicked out of her own house… nothing could get worse then that.

            "Hello?" Seto turned and squinted at her. Serenity's heart fluttered with nervousness. She was actually going to tell him! In a matter of moments, it would all be over.

            "What are you doing here?" he asked. _Keep calm. I can't believe it! Just one day ago, I was at the ball so nervous that I might not beat Seto… and now I'm here so nervous because I did…_

            "Nothing much, I just messed up on cooking lunch and got kicked out for the night…" Seto smirked.

            "Smart…"

            "Totally…" Serenity walked over and sat next to Seto. They both sat straight ahead, not even looking at each other. Seto had an arm on the back of the bench, and Serenity could feel his hand almost touching her hair. She took a deep breath.

            "I have to tell you something…"

            "Hm? Funny… so do I…"

            "You first…"

            "You first…"

            "Come on Seto…" A brief silence followed and a few crickets chirped.

            "Okay… I just wanted to apologize." Serenity raised her eyebrows. **_He_**_ wants to apologize… wait… this isn't how it's supposed to work…_ "I realize I have been a bit of a jerk and all and it kind of made a rift between us. Hope you don't really hate me for it. After all, to tell you the truth, I don't really think I like that Shizuka girl. You're right. I don't even know her." _Has he finally seen the light? What is up with him?_

            "Are you possessed?"

            "Possessed? No, I'm obsessed."

            "Obsessed?"

            "Infatuated… smitten…besotted…" _This is weird. I came here to apologize to him and he apologizes to me. And… he's saying weird things and I don't think he is in his proper, jerkish mind. _

            "With what?" Serenity looked at him with raised eyebrows. He looked down at her, glossing over her illuminated features and contrasting auburn hair. He grinned back… yes, _grinned_ back. For once, he actually looked like a kid. Serenity had to admit he was really attractive when the light shined on him in a peculiar way… both spiritually and physically.

            "Are you okay Se-" Serenity didn't get to finish her question because before she knew it, Seto had his arms around her waist and his lips over hers. Serenity was not expecting this, but she kissed him back anyways. No girl would ever miss this chance she had, even if they tried to convince themselves they hated him beyond description. Serenity didn't necessarily hate him any longer…

            After a few minutes, Serenity finally pulled away. The shock of being kissed by him turned her words into jelly before she could quite process them.

            "What was that for?" she asked incredulously. _Smooth, Serenity, be smooth. _

            "I don't know Serenity," Seto replied sarcastically. For a few minutes, they sat staring at each other.

            "That was too short…" Serenity remarked under her breath, but Seto heard. He smirked at her and she blushed.

            "Anyway," she continued, jumping up from her seat. "I think I have to go home now. No doubt my sisters will wake me early, good night!"

            "Good night." Seto took both her hands and pulled her down for another kiss. Even after a few seconds, he didn't let her pull away. Serenity gave up and sat back down on his knee, arms wrapped tightly around his waist, kissing him like the sun wouldn't come up the next day.

………

            The sun did come up the next day, in fact. Serenity was the first to wake up, luckily before anyone came to the park and discover her lying on top of Prince Seto. She looked around and panicked. If her sisters found out…

            "Seto!! Wake up!! Lazy head!" Serenity shook him until he moaned and his eyes fluttered open. "What the…" he trailed off as Serenity lightly kissed his lips.

            "Good morning sweetie. Rise and shine cause the sun already did and we're in the middle of **a park for goodness sakes! If anyone sees us we will have a hell of a time explaining ourselves…**"

            "Ow! My head hurts. That's what I get for not sleeping on a pillow…"

            "You're as picky as Mai… Mai!" Serenity gasped. "She will kill me if I'm not home!" Serenity didn't wait for Seto to say anything. She dashed off towards her mansion.

            "I guess my parents might be a little panicking by now. Nah… my mother wouldn't be that worried…" He tried to imagine what his mother might do…

………

            _"HE'S GONE!" A screech erupted from Seto's room. Pegasus and Mokuba hurried in to see Cecilia freaking out. _

_            "What happened?"_

_            "Seto's gone! Someone has kidnapped him!"_

_            "OH NO! Hurry, we must send our soldiers!" _

_            "Hurry! Before they do something horrible to him!"_

            "Send soldiers to all the neighboring kingdoms as well. Question every civilian! Make sure our dear Seto is safe and sound!"

………

            "One the other hand…" Seto thought. "I'll just head home too…"


	19. The Duelist Glove

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh…

CHAPTER 19: The Duelist Glove

            Serenity skipped to her house, floating among clouds of bliss and pink, fluffy, hearts swimming around her head. She hummed a little tune to herself, a big smile playing with her lips. Serenity was oblivious to the outside world. She pranced, she la-la'd, she skipped, she chuckled… she twirled around and around in sheer happiness. Her sisters were even more boggled when she appeared dancing through the doorstep.

            "Mai… our sister has gone absolutely insane…"

            "Luckily… she's not _really_ our sister." Mai and Téa stopped halfway down the stairs in their nightgowns, watching Serenity ballroom dance on the foyer floor. They looked at each other, at Serenity, then back at each other.

            _I was kissed…I feel dizzy… I feel light-headed… I am at the top of the world right now…nothing can make me come down…I am happy… I feel like laughing…_

"Serenity!"

_In your face, Mai and Téa! I rock…I am at the top… I have won… I feel so awesome… I no longer have to apologize…_

"Serenity!"

_… I AM FREE! I love him… he loves… ME! What a wonderful s-o-o-o-o-o-ong! I feel like nothing can go wro-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ong! At the top of my lu-u-u-ungs! I can shout…I LOVE YOU! I…really…_

"Serenity!"

            _…DO! **I LO-O-O-O-VE YOU!**_

            "SERENITY!" Serenity was shaken out of her momentary delight. 

            "What?" Mai and Téa glared down at her, their expression magnified by their rumpled hair lack of make-up. Serenity stared back with a confused expression. They gaped at each other for a few seconds.

            "Would you mind telling us who you love?" Téa asked.

            "You…you…heard?"

            "Just the I LO-O-O…"

            "Téa, don't sing!"

            "Fine, just the I love you part." Serenity grinned widely and continued her dancing. Mai and Téa shook their heads.

They continued with the rest of the morning as if Serenity wasn't there at all, even though that was extremely difficult when a certain someone couldn't stand still while she was carrying coffee… or cereal… or forks…

            _Why is it? I feel this way… for a re-eason… I want to die and live all over again! I make no sense… but who cares? Just keep… singing! I am happy… at the to-o-o-op of the world…_Serenity stepped to the right, twirled, stepped to the left… twirled… and Mai and Téa ducked to get out of the swatting range of both her hair and the bowl of cereal.

            "What do you think?" Mai asked Téa. "Should we snap her out of it… like last time, remember what happened?"

            "She had a very serious look that time, like she had to be responsible for breaking someone's heart… as if! Anyway… now she looks as if she was just kissed!"

            "Those are good analogies… but they never will happen. Serenity breaking someone's heart? Someone kissed her?"

            "It's as possible as the prince falling in love with her…"

            "…And wanting to marry her…"

            "Yeah… that will never happen…"

………

            "I want to marry her!" Seto exclaimed, falling on his bed angrily. "But no! All my parents can think about is the _stupid, freakin' glove!_" Mokuba cracked up.

            "You want to marry a girl named Serenity? Have I met her?"

            "No…"

            "Didn't think so…"

            "Anyway, my parents – in a few minutes – are going to lug me around the town to try that _stupid_ glove on every pathetic girl's hand. That is such an idiotic idea."

            "Seto, dear, hurry up!" Seto sighed and rolled over on his back, running hands over his eyes.

            "_I want to marry Serenity!_"

………

_            La…la…la-la…la…la-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a…lalalalala…lala!_ Serenity used her mop as if it was a dancing partner and twirled around the kitchen. Mai and Téa took a shower, dressed up all nicely, and sat on the couches to watch Serenity ballroom dance yet again. Mai looked at Téa; Téa looked at Mai. They shook their heads.

            Serenity finally stopped dancing and hurried to the fridge, deciding to make lunch while singing "la-la-la" over and over with different rhythms. Téa and Mai gulped. It looked like they were going to have mush for a meal again.

            "You know…" Téa said to Mai. "This happened only after we chased her out of the house. Maybe she met someone and they agreed to help her or something… or maybe she met a really cute guy… cause she's acting like when we came home after Seto first talked to us."

            "I don't know what's up with our sweet Serenity, but it's not good."

………

            Seto scowled and crossed his arms, grimacing every time the carriage hit a bump on the road. After a quick lunch – which he had to decide again because his parents did not understand the word compromise – Cecilia and Pegasus had quickly ushered him into the carriage to go gallivanting around Domino. Not just any old trip, but one in which Seto was most likely going to come out married in. After all, the Glove could fit the hand of _any_ random girl. If a short, fat, ugly witch happened to have long fingers and a skinny hand… he was toast!

            _I am doomed! There's probably going to be a million people whose hand fits the damn glove. And Serenity…I don't know about her hands…never looked at them. I've held them, but can't remember. After all, I was too busy kissing her…_

_            Now there's something I never thought I'd say. But then again, I never thought that anyone would beat me at Duel Monsters, and I never thought my mom would be **this** insistent on my marriage. She finds one gray hair in her head and the next second, I have to marry or the whole kingdom will fall apart…OW!_ Seto nearly crashed into the seat in front of him as the carriage came to a sudden halt. Three girls stood gushing in front of the house.

            Pegasus had announced about the Duelist's glove, and every girl was so excited about having another chance of winning Seto. Too bad he wasn't. Of course, the Royals were smart enough not to reveal a single detail of the glove in case anyone had ideas to magically get another hand in the one hour they had to prepare. But, they had all showered, dressed, make-uped, and anything-else-uped that they needed to. Seto felt sick.

            The first house belonged to a rich man with an only daughter, Polly. However, once the announcement had gotten out, Polly's two younger cousins had come to visit because "they missed their cousin sister" from the other side of the town. How they got to the house in an hour, no one knew.

            "Hello, girls!" Cecilia greeted happily, holding out a hand as Pegasus helped her down. Mokuba jumped down excitedly, and the three girls cooed.

            "Aw, how cute!" Polly exclaimed, clasping her hands together; her blonde locks made her look extremely like Goldilocks. Mokuba grinned at the praise. Seto got down next and was receive with exaggerated gasps from all the girls. Eyes widened. Broad grins. Oh please. Well, at least Polly was cute if nothing else. Though… she was a good foot shorter than him if not by more.

            "Well, have we walked into heaven, cause these three girls are too pretty to be anything but angels!" Pegasus remarked. The girls tittered. Seto sighed. _Wait till you see Serenity!_

            "I believe you are Polly…" Seto said, walking up right to the blonde one. She immediately quit laughing, flashing a broad smile.

            "Yes… your Highness." She blushed a bit. Seto forced himself to smile. Cecilia walked over and presented the Glove.

            "Are you going to try it on?" she asked. Polly nodded eagerly, blonde strands flying everywhere. She took the glove in her hand, looking at it as if she had had it every moment of her life. She slipped it on. At first glance, it seemed to fit her perfectly. However, Pegasus did the inspection. He pulled at the sides of her palm. It was tight. He tested the free space above each finger, and that was where she lost. A good inch was leftover in each finger. Seto breathed a sigh of relief.

            "How old are your cousins?" Cecilia asked.

            "Thirteen."

            "Eighteen."

            "Eighteen." Cecilia, Pegasus, and Seto raised their eyebrows. Polly was glaring at them, being the only one saying thirteen. The other two tried to pretend to be much older, glancing worriedly between each other, Polly, and the Royal family.

            "Well, good day then!" Seto bowed slightly and nearly ran back to the carriage. Mokuba followed quickly. Pegasus and Cecilia said a more formal good bye and headed to the carriage, driving away.

………

            Seto plopped into the carriage for the hundredth time at least; his smile to the girls had now become near impossible. The sun had set a short while ago, a narrow strip of brightness barely peaking from behind the houses. After searching two neighborhoods, they had found no trace of "Shizuka". No one sounded like her, no one acted like her, and no one's hand fit the glove. It was always too tight, too loose, too big, too small, too close to fitting but not quite… either way, Seto, Cecilia, Pegasus, and Mokuba were really tired.

            "I could use a bowl of spaghetti about now," Mokuba complained. Cecilia tried to suck in her bad temper and smile it through. After all, this was _her_ idea. Her good mood had lasted only through a few girls, when she realized how difficult this task really was. But she had to tough it out.

            "I think we should call it a day," Pegasus advised, looking at Cecilia for permission. "We can finish then rest tomorrow. I think we've had our fill of failures." Mokuba nodded eagerly. Seto merely shrugged and leaned back. It didn't matter to him. Either way, he wouldn't be able to marry Serenity. She was definitely not Shizuka.

            Right?

            _I don't know. Sometimes, I swear Shizuka sounded just like Serenity, that soft, high voice. And even through that thick accent of hers…I swear she was the same girl._

_            I must be kidding myself…Serenity as Shizuka? That's impossible. Serenity has no Dueling talent from what she told me. Shizuka was serious. She really beat me…sort of…I guess it was merely luck that she won. But still, she got through six rounds to face me. And…I didn't see her eat a thing. _

_            They looked the same though. The same height, give or take an inch. Same voice, minus the accent. I noticed auburn hair under the veil when it started disappearing, or maybe my mind was imagining Serenity. Funny, what happened to her that day? _

_            Anyway, she hung out with Mai and Téa Kaiba. That is weird…a blonde boy was with her a lot, he looked rather familiar. And it was kind of a coincidence that Serenity knew a lot about Shizuka though she didn't come to the ball…_Seto decided to stop bothering his brain and leave the matter for later. He looked out the window. Completely dark. Street lamps turned on soon, blanketing the street in yellow tinged light. Seto smiled when he remembered he was in the park yesterday at this time.

            Seto glanced out the other window. A few people were still outside, hanging around the houses and just talking. They all stopped to stare at the royal carriage as it passed them bye. Seto barely glanced at the girls among the group. He recognized one, however, a girl named Lumina. He knew her to a pretty good Duelist. She had a good record in tournaments.

            Seto turned to the other side and noticed the Kaiba mansion. Téa and Mai were lazily sitting on the grass in the front, while Serenity was watering the plants – dancing, he noticed.

            _You know…this is bothering me too much. I must know the truth straight out…_

            "Driver, halt the horses!" Cecilia and Pegasus barely had time to glance at him before they were jarred alert by the sudden stop.

            "Can we make one more stop, at the Kaiba residence?" He pointed to make sure he was not mistaken. He noticed that Téa and Mai had noticed them. Cecilia and Pegasus looked at him curiously then nodded. He leaped out of the carriage, followed by the rest of his family.

………

            _I'm at the to-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-p of the wo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-rld! Nothing can bring me do-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-own! I o-o-o-o-o-own my destiny! I am freeeeeeeeeee! My heart is bee-e-e-e-e-e-e-eating fast! I feel so confused… but my heart knows…I am in lo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ove!_ Serenity hummed the rest of the song, not even caring if she poured water on her light blue dress by accident. She was still happy.

            "OH MY GOSH!"

            "LOOK!" Serenity was interrupted, turning to see what her sisters were so excited about. There in front of the house was a golden carriage pulled by four white stallions, tossing their manes in annoyance of stopping. The front door opened and out leaped Seto; cool as he could be with his piercing gaze and bright white tunic. He turned to Serenity and winked. She dropped her watering can. Then, she blushed. The rest of his family got out too, seeming to be tired as if they had been touring the city. Seto, however, seemed refreshed.

            "Good evening, ladies," he said calmly. Mai's jaw dropped, and she looked at Téa sporting the same expression. Obviously, Yami had been forgotten.

            "Hello, good evening, your Highness." Mai stood up, slowly smoothing her peach colored day gown and flipped her blonde curls. Seto was reminded of Polly, and he shivered. But, Mai's purple eyes and heavy make-up put her in a class by herself.

            "Good evening, your Highness." Téa got up as well, smoothing her own yellow skirts. She couldn't flip her own hair because it was tied back in a ponytail with a yellow silk ribbon.

            "Good evening…your Highness." Serenity came over too, trying to conceal the wet splotches on her dress by gathering them as she walked. At least she could flip her hair over her shoulders. The three of them stood in a line as if they were in the army.

            "You have heard…about the announcement?" Cecilia inquired. Mai and Téa looked at each other. Serenity raised her eyebrows. "That… we were going to try the Duelists glove on every maiden's hand and whoever fits shall marry Seto." Cecilia produced the glove and Serenity suppressed a gasp. Mai and Téa pointed to it with surprise.

            "Why…that's my glove!" they cried at the same time. Serenity didn't know what to say. _It was her glove…_

            "Both of yours?" Cecilia asked. Téa and Mai nodded. Cecilia looked back at Pegasus with a _they are soooo faking it_ expression. Pegasus nodded in agreement.

            "Well, no one's going to know unless we try it on them," Seto offered. Mai and Téa nodded enthusiastically, and Serenity felt drawn back to the two stones that were in her dresser drawer that very moment. She smiled slightly at Seto, and he smiled back, though not so noticeably.

            "Well?" Seto got the glove and gave it to Téa to try it on first. She slipped it on. Before anyone could quite get a look to see if it fit, she started waving it around dramatically, clasping Seto's hand happily – though he tried his best to snake his hands away – and babbled almost incoherently. Luckily, a few words came out clear…

            "IT FITS!" Serenity's jaw dropped in shock.

………

            Lumina Illumi scrunched her eyes, watching as the royal carriage passed by where her friends were hanging out until it was time for bed.

            "Lumina? LUMINA!" Flarina Pyrotech's down-to-earth call nearly made Lumina scream.

            "What?"

            "Isn't that Seto's carriage?" Lumina nodded. Curiosity gripped her. Her classmate Polly had been mad that whole evening when Lumina had passed her by on the street, grumbling about the prince and a glove. To Lumina it made no sense since the royal announcement hadn't been heard in this part of the town nor had the royal family started their search here yet. The Kaiba residence was a special case.

            Anyways, Lumina found the whole ordeal very interesting. Flarina shrugged and continued talking to the others. Lumina was a bit more interested in the appearance of the royal family in her neighborhood. She hurried to where she saw the carriage turn.

            _It's going to the Kaiba mansion!_ Lumina quickened her pace. She had to see what was going on.

………

            "Rock…paper…scissors!" Yami and Yugi thrust out fists. "Tie again?"

            "What do you expect?" Yugi asked. "I mean, we're brothers! We think alike so many times it's hard to play games like this."

            "You're right," Yami agreed. "After all, it's like Duel Monsters. Sometimes your monsters and you are connected in a special way so that your monster will always know whatever intentions you have." Yugi sweat dropped. Great, more Duel Monster comparisons.

            Yugi and Yami were taking a stroll around Domino. After all, Yami needed to return to Domino Academy the next day. He was lucky he wasn't Joey or Ian. They had been in big trouble once they got back. But since the final exams were the only things left, their punishment was a mere one day extra stay in the Academy. That still meant they were coming home the day after tomorrow. If Yami had gone back today, he wouldn't have to go tomorrow. However, he volunteered to switch the two days so he could give Joey company.

            "Is that…Lumina?" Yugi queried. Yami's heart leaped at the name, but quickly settled down. He liked Téa, _she _was his girlfriend.

            "So?" Yami asked rather harshly, trying to pay more attention to the houses in the neighborhood rather than at the girl walking straight up the street.

            "What is she doing here?" Yugi pressed on. "Her house is on the other end of the street." Yugi squinted to make sure it was Lumina. It was hard to see with the bright yellow lights streaming from the lamps. Yami snorted. He didn't care about Lumina.

            While Yugi still tried to puzzle out why Lumina was there, Yami turned his attention to the opposite side of the street. A few houses down was a golden carriage – inevitably the royal family's – standing in front of a mansion. The Kaiba mansion, Yami soon realized, the place where Joey lived. Lumina was walking right to it. Yami was walking right to it. Yami cursed when he realized that he would have to pass Lumina unless he was going to turn around. Curiosity made him press on forward. As he would say, it was like deciding whether to attack an opponent's face down monster. You never know what might happen, and a trap – Lumina – might be lurking.

            Lumina noticed him immediately, turning to face him with her dark eyes. Yami forced himself to smile. Okay, maybe their break-up had been a little…sudden… but there was no reason for any animosity between them. Lumina quickly turned back to the Kaiba mansion.

            "Hello?" Yami said. He walked over to Lumina, keeping a good foot away from her. He remembered how it used to be barely an inch, but distance was good now. "Long time, no see…"

            "It's been two days," Lumina answered flatly, staring straight ahead.

            "Are…are…are you mad at me?" Yami inquired. Lumina finally turned to look at him. He was taken back with surprise when she glared at him. She turned back to whatever she had been looking at.

            "I liked you Yami, you know? I really liked you." Lumina put emphasis on the last syllable of liked, making sure he heard the last letter clearly. Yami shuffled his feet, sliding hands in his pocket. He turned to check on Yugi, who was – for some reason – walking back from where he came. Yami turned back.

            "I mean," Lumina continued as if Yami had never turned away. "I did. I always use to brag to my friends that I had a boyfriend, and they'd always be jealous and I enjoyed that. But you took it away just because some girl showed up and poisoned your mind. And she isn't even loyal."

            "Téa is kind and will always stick by me, unlike you-,"

            "Then why is she flirting with the prince right now?" Lumina pointed ahead. Yami looked ahead confused. He saw Téa, holding onto Seto's hands as if she was a leech. She wouldn't let go. She was smiling, a few inches from his face, all happy. A heavy stone dropped into Yami's stomach.

            "See…I tried to explain that night but you wouldn't listen. Téa poisoned your mind. I was talking about you to that mysterious veiled girl, but she twisted it. Yami… I only loved you, and I still would…" Lumina turned to Yami, eyes desperate. Yami couldn't speak.

            "Will…will you take me back?" he finally asked. Lumina sniffed and crossed her arms.

            "Don't know. It's pretty hard to…"

            "Lumina, think of it this way. Life is like Duel Monsters…"

            "STOP! No metaphors, no similes, no analogies whatsoever. Especially not to Duel Monsters."

            "Fine. But, my point is… please, give me a second chance?" Yami looked at Lumina with a puppy dog face until she ended up cracking. Yami patiently waited for Lumina to collect herself from the laughing fit.

            "Okay…you win!" Yami shouted with glee and picked Lumina up, twirling her around several times. Lumina resumed laughing.

            "OH YES! I love you, I love you, I love you! Oh Lumina, will you marry me?" Lumina chuckled and hugged him, still laughing hysterically. After a few seconds, she pulled away. Yami wasn't laughing. She looked at him with raised eyebrows.

            "Um…"

            "I'm serious, Lu." Lumina's jaw dropped, but she recovered and smiled.

            "Very funny."

            "No, I'm serious."

            "Uh-uh…"

            "I swear…I seriously want you to marry me." Lumina gave him a quizzical expression.

            "I know you're kidding."

            "Lumina. I swear on Duel Monsters, I seriously want to marry you." Lumina gasped.

            "_You swore on Duel Monsters. You **are** serious!_"

            "Exactly."

            "Well then… of course! No duh!" Yami smiled and took Lumina by the waist and spun her around again, while Lumina resumed her laughter.

………

            Seto finally managed to clasp Téa's wrist, after having to endure a few minutes of hand flashing. He noticed the glove was way too loose. Téa had been keeping her hands in movement in order to avoid the truth. Seto pulled off the glove with ease, Téa grinning sheepishly.

            "My turn," Mai announced. She quickly took the glove and prepared to pull it on, but it was a lot harder than it seemed. Her palm barely fit into the glove, and her fingers were too long. Mai grimaced. Cecilia clicked her tongue and shook her head. Mai took off the glove with a glare. Cecilia took back the glove, made sure all four stones were in place, and offered it to Serenity.

            "Are you going to try it on?" she asked. Serenity opened her mouth, but Téa and Mai cracked up with laughter.

            "_Her?_" Téa finally sputtered as Serenity went red in the face. "_She's…She's like a servant!_" Téa closed her eyes to catch a breath. "Obviously she didn't go to the ball! That is insane! That is ridiculous! That is just…so…_funny_…"

            "I know," Mai agreed. "We locked her up in our mansion. There was no way she could have been there." Mai and Téa laughed, and Cecilia shot her family an _okay-this-is-weird_ glance. Mai and Téa kept laughing until they heard Serenity join them in laughter. They stopped immediately.

            _This is it! I have had it! Mai and Téa are being totally rude, and I like Seto anyway? Why shouldn't I reveal everything…_

            "What's…what's wrong?" Téa asked nervously, eyeing Mai. Serenity let out a suppressed chuckle.

            "Shows what you know," she said, taking the glove from Cecilia and putting it on. Lo and behold, it fit her right hand ever so perfectly! Everyone gasped.


	20. Happily Ever After

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! I own myself, and that's all I need to own.

CHAPTER 20: Happily Ever After

            "No way!" Seto exclaimed. His parents echoed. "This cannot be happening…" He backed up a few steps. Serenity held up her gloved hand triumphantly, and Pegasus and Cecilia could do nothing but stare. Mai and Téa were rendered speechless as well.

            "Of course it's happening!" Serenity replied in her British accent. "You better believe it Seto, cause Shizuka Jounouchi and Serenity Wheeler Kaiba are both the same person. Me! So… Seto… how does it feel to figure out you've fallen for me twice?" Seto gaped at her as she spoke those words, flawless in her accent as "Shizuka" had been.

            "Whoa! Hold on a minute!" Téa interrupted. "What do you mean fallen?" The others skipped her question.

            "This is Serenity?" Cecilia asked incredulously. "The one Mokuba told us about?"

            "Yes, who did you think?" Seto answered.

            "Hello, is anyone going to listen to my question? What does Serenity mean by Seto falling for her twice?" Everyone ignored her, except Mai, whose eyes widened. She leaned over to her sister and whispered.

            "Do you remember this morning?" Téa's eyes widened. The others were still ignoring them. Seto, Pegasus and Serenity were eyeing Cecilia as she teared up.

            "Cecilia dear, are you okay-,"

            "SERENITY!" Cecilia cried, flinging her arms around a very surprised Serenity. "I can't believe it's really you!" Seto and Pegasus raised their eyebrows. Cecilia noticed, and she turned to them to explain.

            "Remember Serenity, Max? The poor girl who lost her parents that night and Mr. Kaiba had to adopt her?" Pegasus's eyes widened with recognition.

            "Ah, yes! I remember… this is her? My, you've grown!" Serenity was still confused, but she hugged Pegasus. Seto was confused as well, and things were starting to pile up on top of his brain. Even though he had mastered very complicated Duel strategies, this was far from anything his brain expected to comprehend.

            "Okay! I need some explanation. Serenity, you have to explain to me _how in the name of Domino did you learn how to Duel._ Second, mom…dad…_how the hell do you know Serenity?_"

            "I guess I should explain first then…" Serenity started. "Well, it all happened when you basically challenged me by saying I couldn't Duel. I decided to learn, and I did from Mr. Motou, to challenge you. My…friends got me to the tournament. Of course, I just came there for the pleasure of defeating you, but when I won and it was announced I had to marry you… well… my mind panicked and I ran…"

            "And you felt all guilty and tried to reason with me that I shouldn't have a crush on Shizuka because you don't want the blame of breaking my heart… I get it now…" Serenity nodded. Seto turned to Cecilia. "Your turn."

            Cecilia smiled and took Serenity's shoulders. "She is like a daughter to me. Ten years ago, her parents died in a carriage crash and she and her brother came to me. However, since they still had a relative living, I wasn't allowed to adopt them." Pegasus huffed.

            "That morning they were adopted, and that very night I couldn't sleep. I had to sit three hours in bed listening to my wife _rant on and on about if we did the right thing, or whether we should have adopted them._" Seto's jaw dropped.

            "That girl…with the reddish hair… pretty laugh… _that was her_!" Seto pointed an accusing finger at Serenity, who raised her arms in protest.

            "Excuse me! What did I do?"

            "What did you do? I don't know… maybe you just happened to run away from me twice, break my heart twice, and lead me to fall in love with three separate girls who just happened to be _the same person_?"

            "**WHAT? _HE_ FELL IN _LOVE_ WITH _HER? THE PRINCE _FALLS FOR OUR _SERENITY?_"** Obviously, Téa and Mai's shout clearly got through to the others. Serenity gave them a smirk. Seto gave them a smirk. Mokuba gave them a smirk. Cecilia and Pegasus smiled happily.

            "Anyway…" Seto turned back to Serenity and took a deep breath. "You are a very tricky person if you caused me all that trouble. There is only one thing I can do now…" Serenity cringed, expecting the worst. Instead, Seto kneeled down in front of her and took her right hand in both of his.

            "Serenity… will you marry me?"

            That's it. All hell broke loose. Mai and Téa gasped for a second, then screamed at the top of their lungs. Mokuba, Cecilia, and Pegasus shouted with glee, dancing around each other. Serenity shouted **OH MY GOSH!** at the top of her lungs before nearly jumping on Seto to smother him with hugs and kisses. The instant celebration/mourning lasted for a full ten minutes before they all settled down again.

            "Okay… calm, controlled," Cecilia reminded everybody. "Serenity tried on the glove, it fits, she's acceptable, and Seto proposed…all things I never thought would happen!"

"It's so twisted…" Mokuba whispered. "Like spaghetti!"

Cecilia was on the verge of crying with happiness again. "This is so wonderful. Max! Can you believe it? We're going to be………we're going to be…" Cecilia teared up again. Seto shook his head as he put an arm around Serenity. Mai and Téa gave them acid glares.

            Pegasus walked over and took Cecilia's hand. "I know, we're going to be parents-in law!"

            "No! That's not what I'm excited about!"

            "We're going to retire?"

            "No…"

            "We'll have someone else to argue about food with?"

            "Kind of… soon anyway… we might have a million mouths to feed…"

            "A million?"

            "Just think! We'll be grandparents soon too!"

            "Grandparents!" Pegasus and Cecilia looked at Seto and Serenity hopefully. The couple looked at each other then back at the king and queen.

            "NO!"

            "Yes…"

            "NO!"

            "Yes… what's a royal family that doesn't…"

            "NO!"

            "Come on…I would love to see cute little boys and girls walking around the castle again… you can have like four or five… I don't mind…"

            "No!"

            "We want to be grandparents!"

            "**_NO!_**" Pegasus and Cecilia backed off at their combined shout.

            "Sorry… jeez… it's not like we're going to ask you to kiss in front of a thousand people…"

            "What do you think a royal wedding is?"

            "Oh… anyway, why are we standing out in front of this mansion at midnight. We must get our sleep! We have a wedding to plan!"

            "Oh!" Serenity suddenly gasped. She hurried back into the mansion, leaving the others staring puzzled at her. She ran up the stairs to her room and nearly flung open the door. Rushing to her drawer, she opened it. She saw the box she had wrapped in chains. She unhooked the clasp, opened the lid, unwrapped the cloth, removed another lid, and unscrewed a bottle. From that, she poured two stones into her hand. Then, she skipped back down the stairs.

            "It wouldn't be complete without this!" she said, running out of the house, fitting two stones into her glove. "It proves I beat Mai and Téa. Now, we can go to the castle."

………

            "Cy! Bring it over here!"

            "Svrion! How many times do I have to tell you? This side of the door has ten strands, that has eleven! THIS SIDE NEEDS IT!"

            "Cy! Haven't you noticed it's lopsided? These strands are shorter. _Bring it to my side!_"

            "Svrion! You've never decorated a wedding before!"

            "You haven't either!"

            "Well I'm at an advantage cause girls are more artistic _and they would know when one side of the door needs more strands of flowers!_"

            "And I'm at an advantage because I am taller and can actually reach the top so I can make the flower strands straight so _they don't look like they are going down a mountain!_"

            "If…you…dare…touch…my…height…I…swear…I…will…" DMG trailed off as she and Svrion glared at each other on opposite sides of the doorway to the ballroom. Wedding decorations were already underway the morning after Serenity had been discovered. The wedding was planned in two days. Obviously, with DMG and Svrion arguing as they were and everyone else stopping their work to watch them, it wasn't going very far.

            At the moment, DMG was holding the last strand of roses, having been assigned the task of decorating the perimeter of the wall outside the ballroom. It was all fine until she and Svrion were down to the last strand. DMG was short on her side, but for some odd reason and the fact that her curves were smaller – she couldn't reach all the way to the top – it seemed there was less room for the last strand to fit than Svrion's side.

            "Shorty poo! I am way smarter than you!"

            "That does it!" DMG dropped her roses on the floor and ran after Svrion, who immediately noticed the danger and ran the other way. Female spellcastor on the loose! Hufanse, Aundren, and Clarrisa were watching.

            "They seriously are a sad case…" Clarrisa said. "Believe me, I know sad. Have you ever watched some of the girls in my class flirt after school? Puh-leaze. It's not like they get anywhere. It's one thing for Cy and he wild temper but for me… I'm much more… stable. I do have a runaway mouth but hey! It's all good. My mouth even saved me once… oh my gosh! I must tell you the story. I was walking down-," Clarrisa was cut off when she realized Hufanse and Aundren were not listening. Instead, they were intelligently cutting the rose strand in half so each side would be equal and fixing the strands.

            "Fine! Don't listen to me! You'll pay one day. Some people say some really important stuff. Like my first level teacher, she used to drone on and on and on. But one day she was teaching me how to make this potion for cleaning my wand and I messed up. Hey, I didn't mean to. I just accidentally put too much fish scales. Give me a break. I never like fish scales. Can you believe they use them in lipstick? The thought makes me shiver. Sorry, digressed there. Now, what was I talking about again…?"

………

            "That is _not_ my color!" Serenity protested, standing in front of a mirror and wearing a long red gown. "This is a _wedding_! Don't you have any _white_ gowns?" Lumina and Yami looked at each other.

            "Now… why are we using this color again?" Yami asked. Lumina rolled her eyes.

            "Let me remind you… _I think red would be the perfect color because it goes wonderfully with her hair. I mean, in **Duel Monsters**, you equip cards to monsters only if they match. Otherwise, you can end up with some really crazy things._" Lumina looked over at Yami with an exasperated sigh.

            "It's true…" Yami insisted.

            "You know what?" Serenity finally declared. "Here's an idea Yami. I am a person who is usually very calm and nice. That reminds me of Light monsters. And light is bright like white. So… I can wear white!" Yami clapped his hands.

            "That was brilliant. If we were playing Duel Monsters, you must have knocked half my LP off."

            "Well, it's no surprise, seeing as how she's been listening to you Duel Monster comparisons for the past hour…"

            "We're lucky. I can only imagine how things are going on in the kitchen…"

………

            "FOUR! _Four_, Max. I don't want the cake to fall on our subjects."

            "Cecilia! This is supposed to serve _all of Domino_! Do you think a cake no wider than your hips and four layers tall is going to big enough? Unless your waist is a mile wide or the layers are a mile high each…hate to break it to you honey… _but it's not going to work_!" Cecilia and Pegasus glared at each other. It was only mid-morning, and another food argument had started up again. Cecilia hadn't even changed out of her nightgown and Pegasus had half his face smothered in shaving cream. It was a funny sight to see the quarreling royals not even completely awake in the kitchen, fighting words in front of a very amused cook.

            "Mom!" Mokuba to the rescue! He appeared in the kitchen all dressed and fresh. "What are you doing? Oh! Is that cake batter? Mom, we should make a spaghetti cake!" Pegasus and Cecilia looked at him.

            "Spaghetti cake?"

            "Yeah! Get gigantic bowls of spaghetti for everybody! And put candles in them!" Pegasus and Cecilia looked at each other.

            "You know… that might not be a bad idea…"

………

            A couple of days later, all the problems were finally solved. Cy and Svrion agreed to put away their differences and agree on decorating plans. On the day of the wedding, they even helped compromise a new floor for the ballroom. It had many flowers surrounded by pictures of Duelist gloves.

            Serenity now had a new white wedding gown. It trailed down way past her toes and ended in beautiful flower embroidery. The halter straps were also embroidered with the same pink flower design. Her veil was sheer and bunched at the top of her ponytail, coming down to stop at her waist. Serenity had refused gloves – and for a good reason. Instead, her nails were freshly manicured and painted rose red.

            At the morning of the wedding, the royals were in panic. Pegasus was teaching Mokuba how to walk up the aisle and not drop the ring he was holding. They didn't know whom to hire as a flower girl so they chose Téa. Mai was elected bridesmaid and Duke was _supposed_ to be best man. Then Joey managed to come home early enough and had to spend a very panic-ridden hour muttering about his sister getting married, and then figuring out that he had been led to believe that some stranger had been his sister at the tournament but really the stranger was his sister. Joey was very confused, and demanded that he be best man for his troubles. Now, this morning, he had changed his mind and declared he wanted to lead his sister down the aisle instead since Gozaburo wasn't coming.

            "Okay! Mokuba… check! Téa… check! Mai… check! Joey… check! Duke… check! Decorators…check! Cooks are preparing spaghetti… walls and floor decorated… everything clean. Serenity is dressing up… I am all dressed… Pegasus is all dressed… we have the ring… the flowers…Seto is all dressed and not even nervous… good, that's good… the guests are all here. The ballroom is packed and overflowing… that's okay, the castle is huge! Anyway…calm…" Cecilia smoothed her light yellow gown one more time and took a deep breath.

            "Okay people! Hurry up! Get in your places! Five minutes!" Cecilia looked around one more time. People were hurrying to chairs and Seto, Joey, Mokuba, Téa, and Mai took their places. The Duel Monster helpers were making last minute checks on setting the tables and security of flowers.

            "Honey!" Cecilia turned and Pegasus came closer to her. "Do you have a feeling we're missing… something?" Cecilia shook her head.

            "No…" Pegasus shrugged and walked off, leaving Cecilia paranoid.

            "Oh no… are we missing something?"

            Five minutes later, everyone was calm except for Cecilia. And Serenity, who was pacing back in the bride's room.

            "It's okay… it's _only a wedding_! Serenity, calm down!" Cy finally caught up to her and stopped her from walking.

            "It's… _okay…_it's time to go!" Téa and Joey appeared.

            "Come on Seren…it's the moment!"

            "Don' screw up, cause the whole city's watchin',"

            "Thanks, Joey." Serenity winked at him and prepared herself, and threw her veil over her face. It was here. The moment of truth…

            A few minutes later, Serenity was standing in front of the floral arch with butterflies in her stomach. A large crowd was gathered all around her, and even more seemed to be pouring in through the entrance. Joey was standing next to her in his white tuxedo, grinning ear to ear as he watched all the girls in the crowd. Mokuba and Téa stood to the side. Téa scowled. She did not enjoy wearing a fluffy pink dress and carrying flowers. She felt she was much too old. Mokuba was grinning, however, looking smart in his own cute tuxedo and carrying the ring on the pillow as if it was something he did everyday. Pegasus was standing next to his son in the front, and Cecilia was right behind him.

            _I think something is missing…_Serenity mentally said to DMG. She noticed DMG shrug.

            _I don't know, Serenity. It seems perfectly fine to me. I mean, there's the ring bearer, the flower girl, the bridesmaid, the best man, your brother, the groom and his parents, the bride and her friends… wait… something is missing…_ Serenity looked at her frantically, but "Here Comes the Bride" suddenly started playing and Serenity's stomach did a flip-flop.

            "Ready, Seren?" Serenity shook her head. Joey shook his own in exasperation and nearly dragged Serenity to the first few steps down the aisle. Serenity finally started walking. Everything was perfect for a grand total of three seconds.

            "Wait! When am I supposed to start?" Mokuba whispered to Téa. Téa was too angry to pay attention. "Do I go now?" Téa started walking behind Serenity, throwing flowers as if they were daggers. Mokuba shrugged and took that as his cue, skipping down the aisle after her.

            "MOKUBA!" DMG murmured frantically. "Come back here!"

            "What?" Mokuba queried, turning around. He bumped into Téa and upset her flower basket.

            "Mokuba!" she cried. Serenity turned to see what the matter was and walked right into Joey, who walked right into the crowd. DMG tried to run after them but she tripped on her gown and went sprawling to the floor. Mai cracked up in laughter.

            "Are you alright?" Cecilia asked, rushing to the scene. She clearly was so stressed she did not need another thing on her mind. Mokuba quickly jumped up, throwing the ring in the air.

            "Catch that!" DMG and Mokuba both dived for it and crashed. Joey rushed to his feet and dragged Serenity away from the mess.

            "Hurry, befo' we make a scene!"

            "Joey, it's a bit too late for that!" Serenity finished her sentence, panting, just as they reached the steps. Seto extended his left hand.

            "No!" Pegasus whispered to him. "She has to be on your right side!" Seto quickly switched hands, but not before Serenity grabbed his left and was yanked forward. Pegasus mouthed _it's okay_ and motioned for Seto and Serenity to continue. They looked at each other and shrugged. They walked up the final steps and faced each other. The whole room was silent for a while.

            "Where's the guy who is supposed to marry us?" Serenity queried. Seto looked at the empty spot.

            "How can we get married if no one marries us?" The crowd started noticing the confusion and started up a flurry of whispers. Pegasus walked over to the couple and asked what was wrong. Suddenly, Cecilia came bustling through the aisle.

            "I remember what we forgot!" she cried.

            "It's a bit too late for that!" stated DMG as she came up behind Cecilia.

            "Who's going to do it then?" Cecilia asked. By now, the crowd had completely figured out what was going on and there was widespread panic.

            "I don't know… pick a random person," Mokuba suggested, running to the altar while trying to keep the ring on the pillow. "Why not her?" He pointed to DMG.

            "You must be joking… I don't know-,"

            "Perfect! Was your name Cyrrielle? Anyway, Cy, you can do the honors…"

            "But! What? Huh?" Cy was left as Pegasus, Mokuba, and Cecilia went off to the side. Serenity and Seto looked at her hopefully. She sighed.

            "Alright, fine, I'll do it," she muttered, getting on the other side of Seto and Serenity so the crowd could see the three of them. They applauded loudly and it seemed the whole castle had exploded with the force of a bomb. DMG cleared her throat when it died down.

            "Okay…" she announced. "I really don't know how to do this, so I came going to try it anyway. I have never been to a wedding or gotten married…"

            "Yet!" Mai butted in. "Remember, you told us that you were engaged to Svrion…" DMG winced. Serenity looked at her wide-eyed and DMG tried to be subtle in saying that was false. It didn't work.

            "Ahem… anyway… we are… let's say, we are all… here…_gathered_ here to see… to witness the marriage of two Duel monsters…**humans! Sorry, humans!** Okay, we are gathered here to witness the marriage of two humans… people blah, and yada yada yada, these two have proven their love to each other, which I never expected but anyways…"

            "Just skip to the important part!" Pegasus suggested.

            "Oh… yes… Do you… Serenity Wheeler Kaiba… take this Duel mon-human to be your husband?"

            "What's a Duel monhuman?" Serenity asked. DMG scowled.

            "Serenity… do you want Seto to marry you… nod your head and say yes… thank you. Now, Seto, do you want Serenity to marry you? Nod your head and say yes… good! Jeez, how long does it take for people to get married anyway…? Okay, now I pronounce you Duel Monster and wife… uh, sorry. Human and wife… wait, how do you say it? Yes, husband and wife… or is it man and wife? Something like that… oh forget it, just kiss and get it over with!!!" Seto leaned over, but before he could quite make it the ballroom erupted into a sea of cheers and applause that seemed like ten atomic bombs had gone off at the same time.

            "Their timing is off!" Serenity complained. Seto shrugged.

            "Should I still kiss you or-,"

            "Whatever you want… but it won't be _complete_ without a kiss… wait! We never exchanged rings!"

            "This wedding is so messed up…"

            "Okay, screw the rings, but at least kiss me twice as long to make up for it…"

            "Deal…" they leaned forward but DMG quickly walked between them.

            "If you are going to make out… get me out of here!" Serenity rolled her eyes and Seto leaned forward and kissed her. Since obviously no one was looking or listening over the early celebration, the kiss was dragged along a lot longer than normal. No one even noticed as they sunk to their knees, kissing passionately. When they finally broke apart, Serenity's hands on Seto's shoulders and his on her hips, the ballroom was still not paying attention to them.

            "Well, that was a nice wedding…"

            "Oh well… the important thing is we got married…"

            "Without a proper ceremony or even exchanging rings…"

            "The kiss was good…"

            "Yeah…it was…"

………

            "And we propose this toast to our newlywed prince and his bride. Forever let their life be filled with happiness." The whole kingdom raised their glasses, and a never-ending sea of glittering cups rose up all around the castle. The sun's rays only added to the blinding brightness. Everyone drank from his or her cup.

            "When are we going to cut the cake?" Mokuba asked. He turned to his parents and they looked at Serenity and Seto. Pegasus shrugged and Cecilia looked as though she was lost in another world.

            "How about now?" they asked. Serenity nodded. Pegasus clapped his hands and announced for the cooks to bring the cake. Serenity smiled, hoping for an extra big cake with layers and layers of icing. Instead, five cooks dragged out an enormous bowl.

            "What is that?" Serenity gasped. The bowl had a hard time fitting through the entrance of the ballroom.

            "Spaghetti Cake!" Mokuba cried, beaming. Serenity raised a quizzical expression at the royals.

            "What the-," Before Serenity could say another word, Cecilia and Pegasus pointed fingers at each other.

            "It's his fault!"

            "It's her fault!"

            "You know, let's not even _go_ there." The cake was finally trudged up and placed in front of Serenity and Seto. It was wide enough for the both of them to sit it, if it wasn't filled to the brim with spaghetti. More bowls soon followed until there was enough to make a big circle. People crowded around them as if they were gold.

            "Wait!" Mokuba instructed. "My brother has to blow the candle and cut it first!" On cue, two cooks came in with a giant candle and another with a sword. The first two cooks helped position the candle. It was as tall as Mokuba, but still it barely peeked up over the spaghetti. It was lit and the sword was handed to Serenity and Seto.

            "Hope that is big enough to cut it," Cecilia said, still deep in thought. Seto and Serenity blew out the candle together and the whole kingdom clapped – the noise equaling the explosion of a lot more atomic bombs. Then, Serenity took the sword and cut the spaghetti. Well, she tried to anyway. But when she first sliced through the long strings, more came and filled the empty space. Serenity tried again, in a different place. Still, the spaghetti still covered up whatever she cut. Frustrated, she stabbed the spaghetti.

            "Okay, hold on, it's okay. Don't kill it! NO! MY SPAGHETTI!" Mokuba came over and nearly fell on the bowl. Cecilia sighed.

            "Now what?" Serenity and Seto looked at each other.

            "Isn't it a tradition that the bride and groom smother each other with cake?" Mai asked. Cecilia sighed again, and placed her hands on her hips in a really exasperated way. She hated being disturbed in mid-thought.

            "Do we _have_ any cake?"

            "I have an idea!" Serenity suggested. She reached into the bowl – carefully, to avoid getting food on her bright white gown – and grabbed a handful of marinara sauce. Then, she smothered it over Seto.

            "Hey!" Seto grabbed a handful and slathered it on his new bride. The people laughed, and soon participated in "Smother the Newlyweds". At the end, Serenity's dress was no longer bright white but tasty red.

            "I knew red would look good!" Yami suddenly remarked, emerging from the crowd with Lumina hanging from his arm. She seemed very annoyed. "Red as a rose…"

            "ROSES!!!" Cecilia's sudden shout made everyone in the ballroom and beyond freeze, arms still submerged in spaghetti. "That's what was bugging me this whole time. Serenity, you never threw your bridal bouquet."

            "Do I have to?"

            "Of course!" Cecilia beckoned to the servants to bring the bouquet. One did and gave it to Serenity. She studied the ten roses inside.

            "Well… throw the whole bunch! The girl who catches it is said to marry next!" Suddenly, a whole flock of girls rushed to the front.

            "Throw! Throw! Throw!" Serenity cringed.

            "There are so many… and only _one_ gets it? That's not fair. You know what, I'm going to throw them one at a time!" Cecilia sighed…again. Serenity grinned and untied the bouquet, letting the roses fall on the floor. She picked one up.

            "Okay… the first one goes to…" Serenity threw one in the air. Screams, shouts, and gasps followed until someone finally caught it. When the crowds parted, it was Mokuba who had caught the rose.

            "Huh?" he asked. "What's going on?" Serenity shrugged and threw another rose out. Everyone quickly ignored Mokuba as they rushed for the second rose. However, one small blonde girl walked up to him.

            "Aren't girls supposed to catch the rose?" she asked in her very bratty sounding voice. Mokuba blinked at her. Quickly, he stuffed the rose into her hands.

            "Pretend you caught it!"

            "Okay, thanks. My name is Rebecca Hopkins by the way…"

            "Nice to meet you…" Mokuba copied his father's formal bow. Rebecca giggled. Mokuba looked really grown up doing that in his tuxedo.

            "What happens now?" Mokuba shrugged and looked over at Serenity. Just then, she threw the third rose. The mob gathered around the rose, but Lumina snatched it out of the air.

            "I won!" she cried.

            "It always feels nice, doesn't it?" Yami asked. "After a long battled game of Duel Monsters, winning makes the whole thing enjoyable. However, how you play the game also matters-," Lumina kissed his lips to make him shut up. Mokuba raised his eyebrows and looked over at Rebecca. He wasn't the only one who noticed. Téa had been sulking near Mai. She nearly boiled over.

            "WHAT?" She stomped her way through the crowd. Mokuba, meanwhile, looked at Rebecca.

            "Is that what you're supposed to do?"

            "I don't know!" Mokuba leaned over and kissed Rebecca on the cheek.

            "I'll do it anyway…"

            "Aww… how sweet!" Rebecca linked her arm with his and they both walked away to avoid being trampled by the crowd. Cecilia saw them and nearly panicked. She tugged on Pegasus's sleeve furiously.

            "What?"

            "Oh my goodness! Look at Mokuba! He has a girlfriend! Oh my gosh! Now I'm going to have two daughters-in-law and a bunch of children! I'm going to be a grandmother! NO! I'm growing old! Look… white hair!"

            "Cecilia…**relax**…it's _o...k…a…y_!"

            "I can't handle this! First a messed up wedding! Then white hair…"

            "Actually, Cecilia, you have had that white hair for the past year… whoa, what's up with her?" Pegasus and Cecilia jumped back as Téa barged through them. She hurried over to Yami, who had his arm around Lumina with a big grin.

            "What is the meaning of this?" She ducked as the fourth rose sailed over her head. A young girl snatched it out of the air. Lumina smugly put her head on Yami's shoulder.

            "He's mine… and you are not gonna steal him again!"

            "Steal? It's you who was cheating-,"

            "I know you played with his head, Téa! I had him first. If you are so jealous, then take a chill pill. Maybe you should go marry your darling Seto… oh wait, today is his wedding…" Lumina snickered. Téa stormed off, brushing past quite a few people angrily. One of them was Joey.

            "Hey! What's wrong?" Téa didn't answer. Instead, she magnified her glaring scowl and trudged off. Joey scratched his forehead. Suddenly, a flying rose made contact with the back of his skull. It was flying pretty hard to hurt him.

            "OW!" The scene around him suddenly split into two images, making him feel dizzy. The blurry image focused on a black haired girl hurrying over to him.

            "Are you okay?" she asked. Joey looked down at his hands. He still held the rose. Around him, he could faintly make people rushing around him. Their voices were like a blur.

            "Yeah…here…" he shakily handed the rose to the girl. "You are as pretty as this rose…is…um…um…pretty…"  The girl's lips formed a small smile.

            "Why, you are so cute!" she walked over and grabbed his arm.

            "You are too… hey, you wanna go out to dinner this weekend? I just got out of the Academy…"

            "Excellent!" The black-haired girl licked her lips, digging her nails into Joey's arm. He winced. "By the way… my name is Mikatsu. My friends like to call me Long Fangs…" She grinned brightly, and Joey was sure he could see fangs protruding from her gums. He tried to loosen her grip on him, but she held on so tight. He gasped when he saw claws on her fingers ripping into his skin. When he looked back up, her eyes were red.

            "_I WANT TO SUCK YOUR BLOOD!_" Joey yelled as she pounced on him. The world went black.

            "Oh! So sorry! Did I bump into you? You looked kind of dazed there! And your arm is bleeding! You must have scratched it with the rose!" Joey woke up with a flash. A crowd had gathered around him. In front of him, a raven-haired girl was standing with a worried expression.

            "Sorry," she pointed to the rose in her hand. "This was the sixth rose Princess Serenity threw, and I bumped into you when I caught it." She extended her hand and helped him get up. "The name is Mikatsu by the way, but sometimes my friends like to call me Long Fangs…" She tried to smile, but Joey gave a loud yell and ran away.

            "Was it something I said?" Meanwhile, Serenity threw out the seventh rose. Another random person caught it and squealed. Serenity took the next rose and threw it as well. Just before it was thrown, DMG pushed her way through the crowd.

            "Hey Seren! Did you-whoa!" DMG gasped as a rose fell into her hands. "What is…" The girls around her cheered.

            "She caught the rose!"

            "Makes sense, she's engaged!"

            "Where's her fiancé?"

            "There he is!" Svrion, Hufanse, and Aundren pushed through the crowd.

            "What happened?" Svrion asked. The crowd of girls around him cooed. Svrion looked at them with eyebrows raised. DMG gasped. She had a feeling she knew what they wanted.

            "Aren't you going to kiss her? She caught the rose!" Svrion nearly gaped, and Hufanse cracked up with silent laughter. Even Aundren was laughing. DMG winced.

            "_Kiss her?_" Svrion asked. DMG glared at him. "I mean… _kiss her now?_" All the girls around him nodded. "But-,"

            "Come on! Just one, really passionate kiss…I mean, you _are_ engaged…" Svrion glared at DMG.

            _Come on,_ she told him mentally, _we can't get out of this lie so we'll just play through. It's only one small…_

_            **Passionate kiss? Are you crazy? I'm not going to waste my first kiss on you.**_****

_Svrion! You are not the only one. I'm going to waste my first kiss too. Just, for the Mortals' sake? Or else they'll never leave us alone…_

_            **Fine, and I'll make it passionate for their liking… but if you dare get an idea… or spill it to my grandfather…**_

****

****_Promise! _DMG took a deep breath and stepped forward. Suddenly, Svrion swept her into a kiss. Hufanse's jaw nearly hit the floor, and Aundren slapped his forehead. The girls around them cheered as the kiss got more passionate. Finally, Svrion pulled away, forcing a smile.

            **_Happy?_**

            That should satisfy them… 

_            **You know? That actually wasn't too bad…**_

****

****_Don't say you are…_

_            **Think about it Cy. How long are we going to keep fighting? Wouldn't it be much easier if we just turned over a new leaf?**_

****

****_Oh… no…_

_            **Come on Cy, I really do like you. If you just weren't so argumentative… okay, here…I won't tease you about your height anymore…**_

****

****_I don't know…_

_            **Please? I really, really do like you. Just we'll put aside our differences, height, and personality, whatever…and just be friends…or you could be my fiancé for real…**_

****

****_You want me to marry you?_

_            **No…I'm not saying…well…I was…just…um…yeah…yes…will you?**_

****

****_Sure._

_            **You do realize I'm being serious…**_

****

****_And you do realize I just caught the rose…_

_            **I can't believe you are serious…**_

****

****_I can't believe it either, but hey! If the staff's good, use it! _DMG broke the mental connection and raised her eyebrows at Svrion.

            "You _are_ serious," Svrion checked one last time. DMG nodded solemnly. Svrion grinned.

            "This day is the most interesting one I have had ever since I found myself cornered by a Griffor who was only angry because no one would play checkers with him…"

            "Uh…" Before DMG and Svrion could talk anymore, Aundren and Hufanse looked at them.

            "That's taking the fiancé joke too far!" Hufanse remarked. Svrion put his arm around DMG.

            "Who said it was a joke?" Hufanse's jaw dropped again and Aundren's forehead earned another slap. Meanwhile…

            "Okay, everyone!" Serenity announced. "I'm going to throw the last rose now. I'm keeping one for myself, but this one goes out to the last lucky person out there." Serenity took a deep breath, kissed the rose for good luck, and threw it as hard as she could. She was surprised when it cleared the ballroom and hit the other side and fell in the mob. And, the most unlikely person of all squeezed through the final part of the crowd and picked up the final rose. Serenity gasped when he came into a clearing.

            "**_Stepfather?_**" Gozaburo looked up and squinted at Serenity.

            "Why, good day. I saw my stepson running like a maniac there so I had to come see what was going on. It seems like a wedding. Serenity, why are you wearing a veil and a wedding gown?" Serenity smiled as Seto came next to her, helping her fit the last rose into her hair.

            "Cause…I just got married…"

            "Okay, to whom?"

            "Prince Seto."

            "Okay…" Gozaburo turned around and walked a few steps before swiftly turning around.

            "**_WHAT?? WHAT DID YOU SAY?_**"

            "I figured you'd have a late reaction…" Serenity rested her head on Seto's chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Yep, now I'm Princess Serenity." Gozaburo gaped, and Téa and Mai came running to the scene. They immediately launched into incoherent blabbing. Gozaburo only heard a few words that made sense.

            "…There was…a Dueling Tournament…"

            "We went…Serenity went…"

            "Serenity beat Seto! She…"

            "…And now she has to marry him…"

            "Dad! Yami dumped me…"

            "Dad! I want to marry Seto!"

            "It's not fair!" Gozaburo massaged his temples.

            "I'm not going to contend with this… as far as I know, Serenity and Joey aren't really part of my family. Joey got a bad reputation in Domino Academy by sneaking away, and I don't want to be related to him anymore. In fact, Téa, Mai… we are leaving!" He firmly took his daughters by the arm and led them out of the castle.

            "Gee, that was nice," Mokuba remarked. Serenity giggled.

            "Oh well, now that that's settled… what now?" The royals looked at each other.

            "We should probably serve the meal, since the spaghetti is rather…messy…" Cecilia hurried to the kitchen. Pegasus hurried after her.

            "Knowing them, they'll start another argument. I better go help them," Seto left as well. Serenity turned to find her Duel Monsters friends. She saw them in a clump to her left.

            "Hello…what's wrong?" She looked at Aundren and Hufanse, who were sighing with bowed heads.

            "Ask them!" Hufanse said, pointing to DMG and Svrion smiling and holding hands. "They are the ones who-,"

            "HEY BRO!" Serenity turned around and Belial nearly bumped into her. "Oh, hello Ms. Serenity. Or should I say Mrs. Serenity Wheeler Kaiba Pegasus, boy that's a mouthful… congrats!"

            "Thanks…" Belial hurried to his brother and Aniron and Rowen appeared behind him.

            "Serenity, congratulations!" they said simultaneously. Serenity smiled. The three turned to Svrion, DMG, Hufanse, Aundren, and Belial.

            "So, what's up?" Belial asked. "Sorry we're late. Our mount…got…feisty… anyway, so, what's new?"

            "Oh… Serenity got married, and I have a new girlfriend who is now my fiancé," Svrion replied.

            "Okay, who?"

            "Cy…"

            "Okay. Anyway…**_WHAT? WHAT DID YOU SAY?_**"

            "I expected a late reaction…" Before Svrion could explain, Clarrisa joined them.

            "I feel so depressed… I didn't catch a rose. Oh well, I don't really need to marry anyway. I came over here cause I saw Cy kissing Svrion… yeah, Belial, don't have to make that face. Anyway, I came here to ask what got into my sister's mind."

            "Oh…I'm just engaged to him…"

            "Okay, I just wanted to make sure because I never would imagine… wait! WHAT?"

            "Yep, late reaction…" Cy cracked up.

            "Let me just pretend I didn't hear that…anyway…" Clarrisa rattled on and the rest had a lovely conversation. Finally, Serenity interrupted.

            "I'm going to go check on Seto, kay?" She turned to leave.

            "Wait Serenity! I've been dying to say something!" DMG called. Serenity turned.

            "What?"

            "NO WAY!!! I don't have an infatuation, crush, love interest, or any damn thing on him!" The Duel Monsters cracked up as DMG made a perfect impression of Serenity.

            "Oh shut up!" Serenity turned around with a sigh and hurried off to find Seto. He was standing near the balcony, looking tired.

            "Hey!" she called, hurrying over to him. She snaked her arms around his waist. "What's wrong?"

            "You would think telling the cooks to cook spaghetti would be simple enough… but, of course, the chef runs out of sauce and now my parents are back to arguing about lunch. At this rate, it will be nightfall before they figure out what to eat."

            "Life is weird. I mean, two weeks ago, I could have _never_ have imagined this would be happening. I mean, marrying you?"

            "Same here. If I didn't know better, I'd say this is much like a fairy-tale."

            "You're right. I would imagine it's like Cinderella. Me, the poor orphan girl adopted and then made to work. Then, she goes to a ball thing in disguise, the prince falls for her, and then she marries him while her stepsisters look on with envy."

            "And…" Seto turned around and kissed Serenity gently. "They all live happily ever after."

**THE END!**

…………………………………………………………

Oh my gosh! It's over! Ha ha! I can't believe it's finally over! It doesn't seem like it is, but it is. I actually have to go back and take out all the author's notes from each chapter to make it more professional, but other than that I am done. Twenty chapters! Well, I hope you all enjoyed that extra-long chapter. Of course, it had to end with "and they lived happily ever after", but it's a fairy tale after all. **I'd like to thank all my reviewers for supporting me! I would have never thought I would reach more than three hundred reviews! **Well, for all who loved my stories and all who haven't heard the news, I am going to write a DM/DMG story starting August 1st, after vacation, called Rising to the Top. It will feature all of my Duel Monster characters! In this story, only Svrion was a little out of character of what he is supposed to be. He's actually more like Aundren, sweet and less argumentative. Anyway, thanks for all who reviewed once again, and I hope to see (not actually _see_, you know what I mean) when my next story comes out. Adios, and review!


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